


Malfoy Flavor

by Vorabiza (Biza)



Series: Flavorful [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Drama, Exhibitionism, Graphic Sex, Humor, M/M, Romance, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-09-24 05:36:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 48
Words: 199,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9705578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Biza/pseuds/Vorabiza
Summary: Harry’s ready to banish the Golden Boy image and take charge of his life. Unfortunately for him, or fortunately, there are surprises in store for him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was the first fic I ever started writing. It wasn’t the first I finished because I wrote Shock Value, In Search of Privacy and Lockdown while working on this. I was also writing Malfoy Child at the same time. (I really miss that prolific time period!) However, this was still where I started, and the beginning of this story, in particular, reflects this. I was in a hurry to get to the “good stuff”. I’ve decided, though, while I am doing minor edits, I am mostly going to leave the content as is. This story is a reflection of how much I’ve learned and how far I’ve come. I could certainly never have written Secrets without going through this writing experience first. Besides, I wrote this story to bring together a bunch of different elements that I loved into one fanfic – including Severitus with Harry/Draco and Slytherin!Sexy!Smart!Harry – and I still love the overall story. It was simply fun to write and I hope you take it in the spirit it was written, and enjoy reading. ~~Biza

_I can't believe my life has come down to this._ Once again, Harry was back at the Dursley's house. Just lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and trying to figure out his life. _I put my friends in danger and got Sirius killed by my stupidity. I suppose I deserve to be stuck back here again._

He was angry. Not quite as angry as he had been in Dumbledore’s office maybe, but still so angry that he was looking for some kind of solution. He figured there had to be something that he could do. He might not be able to bring Sirius back, but there sure as hell had to be some way to protect his friends. He'd put them into enough danger over the years, and leading them into the Department of Mysteries was the final straw. He just couldn't afford to make another mistake as deadly as that one. 

Harry may have been guilt ridden, but he wasn't quite as foolish as everyone seemed to think. He knew he'd made plenty of mistakes, but he'd done a lot of thinking over the last couple of weeks. He'd finally come to the conclusion that he'd played a major role in that disastrous rescue mission, but the ultimate responsibility lay with Voldemort. 

Now that the prophecy had been revealed to him, Harry was finally realizing just how personal things really were between him and Voldemort. Voldemort had killed his parents, Cedric and now Sirius. He'd tried to kill Arthur Weasley as well this past year. Voldemort was slowly trying to take everything away from Harry, and Harry was well and truly furious at this point. 

One of the conclusions he'd come to was that not only had Voldemort taken away his childhood, he'd already pretty much taken away his teenage years as well. Normal teenagers should be dealing with overprotective parents, worrying about boyfriends and girlfriends, focusing on studies and spending time with friends. They shouldn't be dealing with psychotic Death Eaters and their madman of a leader. 

Harry realized that it was time for some major changes in his life. He was getting damn tired of being ruled by everyone else. Because of Voldemort, he was forced to live with the Dursleys, he constantly had to watch his back, and he and his friends were always in imminent danger. 

As he thought about it, he realized that he was just as much ruled by the "light" side and the rest of the Wizarding world. Over the years, he had been letting the Golden Boy image rule him, and there were plenty of expectations that he knew he was supposed to live up to. 

He was more than willing, at this point, to take on the responsibility that he would have to be the one to destroy Voldemort somehow. However, he wasn't willing to do it under the guise of the Golden Boy image any longer. If he was going to have to take on Voldemort, he was going to do it on his terms—not on Voldemort's terms or anyone else's.

Harry was ready for some teenage rebellion.

~*~*~*~

With his new resolve, Harry set out the next day to make some changes. After spending some time thinking about his plan for a new image, he decided that the best place to start would be a trip to London. The warnings given to the Dursleys at the train station were making things pretty easy for him. They seemed to have taken heed of the warnings and were leaving Harry alone.

Unfortunately, he was sure that still left him with people from the Order watching him. The question was how to get to London without letting them realize. He'd also have to get to Gringott's for some money before he could head out to Muggle London. He finally decided to take his chances with his invisibility cloak and just hope that Moody wasn't one of the ones watching him that day.

It seemed that luck was with him for a change, and the invisibility cloak was a success. He'd managed to get away from the house, catch a bus to London and even managed to get to Gringotts and back out of the Leaky Cauldron without anyone recognizing him. Now he was on his own with a pocketful of money, with only the decision left of where to start spending it.

He decided to just start walking and let his feet lead the way. Eventually, he came across a store that had several teenagers hanging out around the entrance. _Seems like a good place to start_ , he thought to himself with a wry grin.

Upon entering, it was immediately clear that he would be able to obtain an entirely new image in this store. The clothing was definitely not what he was used to seeing. Glancing around, there were plenty of others his age loitering around the store. Obviously it was a popular place. He may have been ready for a new image, but he also recognized that he would need some help. Seeing a group of teenagers eyeing him curiously, he decided to take the initiative and approach them for some help.

"Hey, I was wondering if you might be able to help me out. I'm looking for a new image." He looked down at himself with a wry look. He still wore a lot of Dudley's hand-me-downs and the glasses that he was so familiar with were still the same old pair he'd always worn. "Obviously this old image really leaves a lot of room for improvement."

The group of teenagers he'd approached looked at him appraisingly. Two girls and one guy and they seemed to come to the conclusion that he had potential. They looked at each other momentarily before one of them spoke.

"Hi, I'm Alyssa" one of the girls said, "and these are my friends Kathrine and Sam. We're bored, so we could probably help you out. Looks like an interesting challenge," she said with a grin. 

"My name's Harry. Yeah, you could say _this_ look," waving his hand at himself, "is definitely one that needs to go," he stated with a grin of his own.

And with that, the four got shopping. He was hustled off to a dressing room and all three of his new associates set about creating a new look.

~*~*~*~

Harry was once again lying on his back on his bed. Only this time he was thinking back over the last couple of weeks. He liked the sexy bad boy image that he'd been creating. With a grin to himself, he thought about the good times he'd had with his newest friends. Their relationship certainly didn't run deep, and he realized that, but he was definitely thankful that he'd run into them that day.

Not only did he have a new image, but he'd learned a lot about sex as well. When he'd mentioned that he was a virgin, his newest friends took up that challenge as well. Harry knew that he could die at anytime. He'd accepted that fact. On the other hand, he didn't plan on dying still a virgin. That was one problem that had undeniably been solved now. His acquaintances had taught him far more than fashion. He had also learned that he was definitely bi-sexual. 

It was amazing to Harry how his self confidence had sky rocketed over the last couple of weeks. He knew it was partially because of the new mind set he had decided upon at the beginning of the summer. But the new image had also given him far more than he'd bargained for. 

By the end of that first day out in London, he had looked completely different. He wasn't the clean cut Golden Boy any longer. He was wearing black, low cut leather trousers and a tight black t-shirt. The black ankle boots had small silver fastenings. He had got contacts and was rid of the heavy glasses on his face. That fact alone changed his appearance drastically. Add the new diamond stud in his ear, and he changed from good to bad—and he loved it! 

Somehow his new companions had even talked him into going into a tattoo parlour. In recognition of his more Slytherin side, he'd decided to get a tattoo across his lower back. He wasn't sure exactly why, but he'd decided on the pattern of two snakes intertwined—one black and one silver.

All three of his companions had decided he was extremely sexy with his new style and it had paid off in ways that Harry had not originally planned on. Two weeks later, he had far more sexual experience than he had ever expected to have. Now, he was feeling a confidence in himself that he loved. 

Unfortunately, he was also still stuck at the Dursleys. He felt far more secure in himself, but he still had no idea what to do about Voldemort. He'd already done every bit of summer homework he had, despite his extracurricular activities outside the house. He knew he needed to gain as much knowledge as he could if he was to ever defeat Voldemort. Sexy new image or not, knowledge was power. 

The invisibility cloak was allowing him to get out of the house unseen by his watchers, but there was no way he'd be able to go shopping in Diagon Alley, and he knew it. He needed knowledge and he needed books. 

He sighed. For the time being, he was just going to be stuck with reading through the school books that he had on hand. Besides, he knew that he'd slacked off for far too long. He went back and started reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Another week later and Harry was getting frustrated. There was only so much he could get from the books he had on hand. He'd learned most of this already and much of it was review. He knew he was going to need much more. _Maybe if I write to Hermione, I can get her to send me some more books. But first, a shower._

When Harry stepped in front of the mirror, he gave himself an appraising look. He was confused. He knew he'd done a lot to change his appearance this summer, but he was noticing changes that didn’t make sense. For one, he was sure that his hair had grown at least a couple more inches. It also seemed blacker than it had before, if that was even possible. There just seemed to be an extra shine to it. And it was straighter as well. Normally, he could never get his hair to lie flat, but now it seemed to be just a bit wavy. His face seemed a bit more angular as well. His cheekbones seemed more defined and there was more of an arch to his eyebrows. He knew he'd been going for a new look, but how could this have been possible?

So far he hadn't told anyone about his new image for himself, but looking in the mirror, he had the feeling that his new image was going to be even more drastic than he had bargained for. Whether it was intentional or not, he did like what he was seeing in the mirror. It was going to be a different person heading back to school in the fall.

After finishing his shower, he headed downstairs for breakfast. The Dursleys didn't trust him to do any of the cooking anymore. They seemed to be afraid of Harry poisoning them. Of course, he wouldn't really poison them, even if the thought had crossed his mind more than once.

He noticed his uncle's angry expression from the moment he stepped into the kitchen. He was used to his uncle being angry, but this seemed extreme even for him. Harry began to wonder if he shouldn't just head out for the day and get breakfast in London. He'd certainly be able to eat more that way. With typical reckless bravery though, Harry decided to sit down at the table anyway. 

"Boy!" Vernon bellowed. "What are you doing in this kitchen?"

Harry stared at him. This really was going to be one of those days. He glanced over to where Aunt Petunia was standing in front of the stove. She seemed even stiffer than normal, but it appeared that she was refusing to turn around. Harry glanced over at Dudley who was sitting in his usual spot across the table from Harry. But for once he was keeping his eyes glued to the plate in front of him and wasn't giving Harry the usual dirty looks. 

_What the fuck is going on around here?_

"I'm sitting down for breakfast like I do almost every morning," was all Harry said aloud.

"Don't you give me that lip, boy!" Vernon yelled. "I don't know how you did it exactly, but I'm sure this must be all your fault. Either that, or it's your ruddy friends that did this."

Harry was confused. "What do you think I've done now? I've been staying out of your way as much as possible this summer."

Vernon stood up. "I said I don't want your cheek!" he bellowed. 

Harry stood up as well. Whatever was going on couldn't be good for him. It was time to get out of there before something happened. 

"I know it's got to be your fault that I was fired. Everything is always your fault!" Vernon shouted. 

Harry didn't say anything. Saying anything at this point wasn't going to help. He went to move around his uncle so he could leave, but didn't get very far.

Wham! The next thing Harry knew, he was seeing stars. Vernon had backhanded him with enough force to knock him into the wall. Harry didn't get much of a chance to contemplate the stupidity of not having his wand on him. He tended to avoid having it on him while in the house because he was afraid it would be too tempting. He'd been in enough trouble with the Ministry. It didn't seem wise to risk everything just to be able to hex his relatives, but now he was regretting that decision.

Still, Harry wasn't actually that worried yet. He'd got out of worse scrapes. He made to scramble along the floor towards the doorway. If he could make it out of the door, he should be fine. Unfortunately, Dudley had moved to block the doorway and Vernon was advancing on him once again. The thought crossed Harry's mind that he'd never had to battle two whales before, and certainly not without his wand.

He hurriedly got to his feet, eyes flickering around the room, trying to find some way to escape. Vernon took the opportunity to land a heavy punch to the other side of Harry's face and then a blow to Harry's stomach. Harry hadn't stopped seeing stars from the first blow and now he was doubled over from the punch to his gut. This just was not looking good. 

_Damn the fucking Ministry to hell for not allowing me to use magic._

Dudley had come up behind him and grabbed hold of Harry's arms to help hold Harry in place for his dad. He may have been reticent to do anything to incur his dad's wrath earlier, but Dudley was excited now. His cousin was finally getting what he deserved and Dudley was more than willing to help. 

Vernon was far beyond any control in his rage now. With Dudley holding the boy in place, Vernon was able to continue landing blows on Harry's body. Harry struggled, but he was no match for these two behemoths. He knew he wasn't likely to stay conscious much longer. And he was right. When another blow landed on his temple, Harry lapsed into unconsciousness. 

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to stop Vernon. Dudley dropped the dead weight and helped his father kick the boy.

~*~*~*~

Back at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape had also been sitting down to breakfast. Aside from Filch and Hagrid, who took care of the castle and grounds over the summer, they were the only two people left at the school. This time of year was very quiet and peaceful.

The two professors tended to meet for breakfast. Aside from a bit of companionship, it gave them an opportunity to discuss whatever might be going on with the war and other matters. Of course, it was really Albus' idea that they do this, but Severus didn't mind it too much. 

This morning they were sitting at a small table in Dumbledore's office, debating what Voldemort might be up to now. Suddenly Dumbledore stopped speaking and, reaching into his robes, he pulled out a small medallion that was glowing red. He quickly turned to look at the instruments on the side table, and one of them was moving rapidly and glowing red as well.

"What is it, Albus?" Severus asked, instantly on alert.

"Something is wrong at Harry's house. I'm not sure what is happening, but something is interfering with the wards," Albus said gravely. "Come, we must check on Harry."

Severus didn't say anything as he quickly followed Dumbledore through the castle and out to the main gates where they could Apparate to Privet Drive. Severus may not have liked the insufferable brat, but he knew they really couldn't afford to lose him. Much as he may have wished it so. 

Before Snape and Dumbledore Disapparated, they cast disillusionment charms on themselves. It wouldn't do to have two wizards suddenly appearing on a Muggle street.

Once on Privet Drive, they quickly made their way to #4. There weren't any outward signs that there was anything wrong. At the door, Dumbledore didn't bother knocking and just cautiously made his way inside with Severus following close behind. They headed towards the kitchen, where they could now hear a lot of grunting and other noises they couldn't quite place.

Despite their shock at what they saw when they entered the kitchen, both men immediately cast spells to throw Vernon and Dudley away from Harry. Severus moved forward to check on Harry, and cast a few spells over his body. 

Severus always carried several potions on him. Especially in his line of work, he never knew when they might be needed. He revived Harry and lifted a basic healing draught to his lips.

Considering that he was technically awake, Harry wasn't exactly feeling very coherent.

"Just swallow the potion, Potter," Severus snapped.

Harry did his best to do as he was told. He tried to get his eyes to focus and could blearily make out the blurry black shape of his professor. He didn't exactly trust the professor, but he had to be better than Vernon. Especially this morning.

The healing drought was definitely helping, and slowly the room was coming back into focus. Snape handed Harry another potion. Harry eyed it before taking it and swallowing it down. 

Severus decided to answer the unasked question. "It's a pain relieving draught. It should help until we can get you back and heal you properly. Can you stand now?"

Harry blinked at him. This was downright nice behaviour from the professor who hated him so much. He blinked again before the question really registered. 

He glanced down at his body and tried testing his limbs a bit. He was covered in blood and, despite the potions, he still hurt like hell, but he discovered that he could move without the sharp pains he'd had previously. He gingerly got to his feet. 

He finally noticed that Professor Dumbledore was there and he was talking with his relatives. All three of them were pale and cowering in the corner of the room. The sight of them just pissed Harry off again and he scowled. Of course they were scared of someone who could actually use magic.

Harry cursed under his breath, "Damn Ministry."

Snape heard him though. "What does this have to do with the Ministry, Potter," he sneered.

Harry glared at him. "If the fucking Ministry allowed me to do magic, I would've been able to defend myself."

"Language, Potter," Snape snapped.

"Fuck my language!" Harry exclaimed. "I just got the shit beat out of me and you're worried about my language?"

Snape glared at him but didn't say anything further. He didn't let it show, but Potter actually had a point. Severus had been known to curse the Ministry himself on occasion.

Dumbledore turned to face them. "Severus, would you please help Harry pack his belongings? Once you're ready, we will head back to Hogwarts."

Harry looked at Dumbledore and back to his relatives. He decided he didn't really care what Dumbledore was saying to them. If he was getting out of here, then he wasn't going to question it. 

He still wasn't exactly moving that well with all of his injuries, but he tried not to show his weaknesses to Snape, who was following behind him. Harry climbed the stairs to his room and went straight to his bedside table and snatched up his wand. He put it in the waistband of his trousers in the small of his back before moving on to open up his trunk. 

Snape glared at him again. "And why didn't you even have your wand on you, Potter?"

Harry just glared back. "Because I was led to believe I was actually safe here, and if I carried my wand on me in the house it was too much of a temptation to hex those whales into oblivion," he sneered. "The Ministry's been on my back enough as it is. I didn't particularly want to have my wand snapped in half just so I could get revenge on those jerks."

Severus blinked in surprise. "Have they done this before?"

"What do you care?" Harry sneered.

"Potter," Snape said in warning.

"Fine," Harry said. "You want to actually hear the truth? Although I doubt you'll believe it, they don't normally beat the shit out of me. Seems Uncle Vernon lost his job and decided to take it out on me. Supposedly it was my fault. Likely the fat, lazy slob just wasn't doing his damn job. But no, this was the first time I was beat up to this extreme."

Snape caught that. "So they have beaten you up before?"

Harry glared at Snape for making him answer these questions. "Vernon has backhanded me now and then, but nothing like this before. Dudley, on the other hand, has always enjoyed roughing me up. It's one of his favourite pastimes. Of course, it's been a little better the last couple of summers when I could hold the threat of my murdering godfather over their heads."

Snape blinked again in surprise. "You threatened them with Sirius Black?" 

"Yes, I did. I can't use magic, so I'll take what I can get to make things liveable around here. Unfortunately, Dumbledore decided to take it upon himself to inform them that Sirius was dead," Harry said bitterly.

He didn't want to talk about it anymore. He turned back to his room and started emptying out his wardrobe. 

Severus just watched in silence. He glanced around the room and realized that it wasn't much of a room. It was serviceable, but certainly wasn't extravagant. Aside from the owl cage and a few magic textbooks on the desk, it wasn't even recognizable that a wizard lived there. In fact, it barely looked like anyone lived there. There was nothing on the shelves or walls. No decorations of any kind could be seen. Severus watched as Harry got down on his knees and crawled halfway under the bed. 

Snape blinked in surprise once again when Harry came back out dragging an old pillowcase. 

"What is so important that you have to hide it under your bed?"

Harry just glared at him as he emptied out the contents onto the bed. Inside were various food packages. He relented and explained briefly. "Dudley will stay away from all my magic stuff but the whale can't resist food." Harry smirked. "Even after he got a hold of the twins' ton-tongue toffee, he still can't seem to resist."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Still, that doesn't answer why you feel the need to hoard food away."

Harry looked down at the food laid out on his bed. Snape just wasn't going to let up on him today, was he? He felt he shouldn't really be surprised. When had Snape ever let up on him?

"Hermione and Ron, and the other Weasleys, know what it's like for me to be able to get any decent food around here. I've made things better for myself this year, but they didn't know that, so they are still sending me care packages.”

He gathered it all up and packed it into his trunk, on top of the books that he had just put there. Then he went over to the corner of the room and pulled his invisibility cloak off of his broom, folded it and put it in the trunk as well. Snape sneered at him but didn't bother saying anything this time. 

Harry glanced around the room to see if he had forgotten anything. All in all, it had only taken him a few minutes to pack up his belongings. He closed his trunk then grabbed his broom and Hedwig's cage. Snape levitated the trunk and they headed back down the stairs and off to Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry was sitting in one of the chairs in Dumbledore's office. They had come straight here upon returning to the school. Snape had retrieved some additional potions while Dumbledore cast some healing spells on Harry. The Dursleys really had done a number on him. But now, aside from a few fading bruises, he just felt some minor stiffness and soreness. 

Harry glanced down at his clothes, realizing that he still looked a right mess. His clothes were torn and bloody from the beating he took. He had pretty much just tuned out Snape and Dumbledore at this point. They were busy debating where Harry should go for the rest of the summer. 

He decided he didn't really care as long as it wasn't the Dursleys. He didn't particularly want to go back to Grimmauld Place, but if that's what was necessary then he'd do it. It wouldn't be pleasant, especially with Sirius gone now. Hell, that place was never pleasant, but at least he wouldn't have to watch his back as much as he had to when he lived with the Dursleys.

He was snapped back to attention when Snape began shouting. "There's no way in hell that I'm taking him there!"

Harry was confused. "I thought I'd either be going to Grimmauld Place or, if I was lucky, maybe to the Weasleys."

"No, Potter," Snape sneered. "It would seem that the Headmaster wants me to take you back to Snape Manor."

"What?!" Harry screeched. "Why would I be going there? It's not exactly my favourite place, but I thought I would be going to Grimmauld Place. It's protected and I'd be safe there."

"Yes, Albus, he would be safe there. I see no reason why I should be stuck watching the infernal brat for the rest of the summer." Snape glared at Dumbledore.

Harry bristled, "It's not like I even need 'watching'. I've been taking care of myself all summer already."

"Yes, and that's why we just had to come and rescue you," Snape said sarcastically. "Since you've been doing such a good job taking care of yourself."

"And if I'd been allowed to use my magic, it wouldn't have been a problem. Besides, it's not like I'm going to get attacked at Grimmauld Place." 

"Potter, who knows what kind of trouble you could get into, even there."

Dumbledore finally interjected into their argument. "Yes, Severus, I tend to agree that maybe not even Grimmauld Place would be the best place for Harry right now."

Severus glared at Albus in stony silence. He realized that he'd just walked headlong into Albus' trap. Somehow he'd agreed with Albus that Potter could be in trouble at Grimmauld Place. Severus was sure Albus had expected him to say something of the sort.

Harry stared at Dumbledore and Snape. He seemed to be missing something since Snape had gone quiet all of a sudden and was now glaring at Dumbledore instead of him. Harry looked to Dumbledore.

"Why do you think I should go to Snape Manor?" Harry asked as he closed his eyes tight for a moment. When he looked back at Dumbledore, he realized the old man's eyes were twinkling again. This couldn't mean anything good as far as Harry was concerned. 

"For one thing, Harry, no one would expect you to be at Snape Manor." Dumbledore smiled at the two of them as they both snorted.

"True enough," Harry said. He glanced at Snape. "But you do realize there is a _reason_ for that, don't you?" Harry asked Dumbledore. Harry blinked when he saw Snape quirk his lip briefly, like he was trying not to laugh. 

This is exactly what Severus was trying not to do. Potter had just said exactly what had been going through his own mind. He may not like the boy, but he had to give him credit for something well said.

Harry shook his head slightly and looked back at Dumbledore, waiting for an explanation. 

"Yes, my boy, I do realize there has been some slight animosity between the two of you over the years," Dumbledore said calmly.

Harry and Snape both looked at him incredulously. _Slight_ animosity?!

Dumbledore continued. "I think it's about time you two overcame that. If it is only the two of you, I think you will have the time to sort out your differences. And yes, I do believe this is necessary." He addressed the shock that was on both of their faces.

"Which brings me to the other reason why I think you should both go to Snape Manor for the rest of the summer." Dumbledore faced Snape. "Severus, there is much that you can teach Harry. In addition to Occlumency, you have certain special knowledge and skills that I think would be a tremendous help to Harry in this war."

"And what could I teach him that you couldn't do yourself?" Snape spat.

Dumbledore's eyes were no longer twinkling as he looked gravely at Snape. "Severus, you know of the prophecy. You know that Harry will have to face Voldemort and, by association, his Death Eaters as well. Who better to teach Harry what he will need to know than someone with inside knowledge of those he will have to fight?"

Harry and Snape both sat back in their chairs at that pronouncement. The fight seemed to drain out of both of them. How could they really argue with that? There was too much truth in it. Snape really was the best choice to help further Harry's training. 

Harry looked at Snape, resigned to his fate. "So when do we leave?" he asked.

~*~*~*~

It was only a short time later that Harry was ensconced in his new room at Snape Manor. He sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. Technically, he knew all that had happened this morning, but the events still seemed a bit surreal. He had been hustled here after leaving Dumbledore's office, and practically shoved into this room. He was told to lie down and rest to let the potions finish doing their work.

_How the hell did I manage to end up here?_

Harry decided to give up for the time being and actually listen to his professor for once. No matter how he had ended up here, it had all started when he had got beaten so badly just a few short hours ago. Actually shutting down his brain and taking a nap sounded like a really good idea all of a sudden.

When he first woke up again, it took him several minutes to place where he was. The room certainly wasn't familiar. As he lay there, the events of the morning slowly trickled back into his mind. He rolled onto his back and groaned.

He had thought the Dursleys were bad. And they _were_ bad. But was living with Snape actually going to be any better? It certainly felt like he was jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

It was ironic, because overall this summer had actually been going better than any other. For the most part he'd been able to avoid the Dursleys. Mainly he only dealt with them at breakfast time. Otherwise he stayed in his room studying or he'd go out and make a trip to London. It had seemed to suit everyone involved.

Now what was he supposed to do? He didn't think Snape was just going to let him get away with doing whatever he wanted. The Dursleys just plain didn't care, as long as Harry stayed out of their way. Snape would want to question every little thing, Harry was sure of it. 

On the plus side though, Harry was actually a bit excited that he was going to get some extra training. He remembered that he'd planned to write to Hermione asking for more books today. Maybe Snape had a library here. If not, he could probably be talked into getting Harry some more books, even if he was sure to question Harry's willingness and ability to read them. 

Harry sighed. He may have lost his bit of newfound freedom, but hopefully something good would come out of this new arrangement. He decided that he would at least attempt to be civil with Snape. If he was polite and tried to be on his best behaviour, hopefully Snape would be more willing to teach him this summer.

He finally decided to sit up and truly look at his new room. He slowly let his eyes travel around the room before actually stopping and rubbing his eyes before looking around again. 

This was to be _his_ room?

He hadn't paid any attention earlier. Now he started taking in the details of the room. The bed he was sitting on was a huge four poster with beautiful dark purple, almost black, velvet hangings. The sheets were black satin and the thick, fluffy soft comforter was just a shade lighter purple than the hangings. The plush wall to wall carpet was a solid black. The walls were a dark panelling with a painting hanging on one of the walls. 

It was actually a very large painting of a beach scene at night. He was almost mesmerized watching the ocean waves in the moonlight. It was beautiful. He realized that it was on the wall facing the foot of his bed. He'd be able to lie in bed at night and watch the ocean before he fell asleep.

On the far wall was a fireplace done in black marble. It was fairly large as well. In front was a soft throw rug done in swirls and shades of dark purple, as well as silver. Directly in front of the fireplace was a black leather sofa and to either side was a pair of plush armchairs done in the dark purple. Silver accent pillows were placed on each. A beautiful walnut coffee table was in the center of the arrangement. 

On the opposite wall, on the other side of Harry's bed, was a huge wardrobe and another door. Harry wondered if it led to a bathroom. Somehow he thought it might be possible, considering how luxurious this room was. 

Further down the wall from the ocean scene was a large desk with matching chair. Harry realized there were also book shelves already filled with books on either side of the fireplace. It looked like he was finally going to have a decent place to study. 

What truly grabbed Harry's attention though, was the huge picture window further down the same wall that his bed was on. It included a large window seat and that's where Harry finally moved towards. He sat down and stretched his legs out in front of him. He leaned back against the pillows that were placed there and looked outside the window. 

He was really impressed with his room, but the view outside was even more incredible. Wherever they were, it was clear that no one else was around. He could see various gardens directly below, and off to the side was an area that actually looked like a Quidditch pitch. Snape has a Quidditch pitch? He wouldn’t have thought it possible, but it seemed to be the case. 

Off to the other side appeared to be a large lake, and in the distance there were rolling hills that eventually rose to majestic mountains. 

_Wow, maybe it won't be so bad living with Snape after all._

Harry sat there lost in his thoughts for a long time before there came a knock on his door and Snape entered the room. He gestured for Harry to come join him in the sitting area. Snape sat in one of the chairs and Harry decided to sit on the couch. 

"I trust that the room meets with your approval," Snape said.

Harry looked at him for a moment. He realized that he did actually owe Snape. He'd not only helped rescue Harry just that morning, but he had to watch over Harry for the rest of the summer as well as teach him. Harry knew that Snape was not doing it willingly, but he was still doing it. And giving up his own summer to do it, for that matter. 

Harry had already told himself he was going to be civil with Snape. Finally he said, "Yes, sir. To be honest, I think the room is incredible. I've never stayed in a room so luxurious before."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "I saw your room this morning. Is that where you've always lived?"

Harry looked down at the floor. How truthful did Snape want him to be? He decided to come right out and ask. 

"Sir, how much do you really want to know?" He made a sweeping gesture of the room around him. "This looks more like what you've always accused me of having. I've never even come close to living like this before in my entire life."

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. "Potter, as much as it pains me to say this, it is clear after this morning that your home life has not quite been what I expected all this time." Snape paused in thought for a moment. "I realize you may not want to tell me because I have not believed much of what you have said in the past. I'm saying that right now I am willing to listen to your explanations."

Harry stared at him in disbelief. Snape had _never_ wanted to hear his explanations. He thought about it. No, he really didn't want to tell Snape about his life at the Dursleys, but it seemed this might be his chance to try to finally convince Snape he wasn't actually a spoiled brat. Was the trade off worth it? Snape could just use the information as further ammunition against him.

"Professor Snape, I'm not sure that I really want to explain things if you're just going to use it as something else to aggravate me with. I already take enough flak for being James Potter's son, being the Gryffindor Golden Boy and the Hero of the Wizarding World," he said bitterly.

"I don't have any control over those things. Everybody is going to think what they like of me no matter what. I don't assign those labels to myself." 

He sighed before muttering to himself, "Merlin, why would I?"

Snape heard him and thought about that. "Potter, from what I've already gathered today, it would seem that you haven't exactly lived the pampered life that I've always thought you did."

Harry snorted at that. "Yeah right. I could only wish. I've always tried to tell you that I didn't, and I don't like all the damn fame that's been heaped on top of me. I haven't had a choice in any of it."

"You do have a tendency to get away with a lot at the school," Snape said.

Harry snorted at that as well. "That isn't what it appears to be either. Sure, I've got away with a few things here and there. But most of it was Dumbledore's way of manipulating me. He's led me on a merry goose chase almost every year."

Snape had both eyebrows raised to hear Harry saying this about Dumbledore.

"Don't look so surprised," Harry said. "I happen to agree with you that Dumbledore lets me get away with quite a bit. I've just finally decided that a lot of it though, has been his own unique way of training me. I gather you know about the prophecy as well. I was only informed about it at the end of last term, but I think he’s been trying to get me ready to fight. But he tends to give me just enough information and just enough leeway to hang myself. Well, not quite enough to hang myself, but it's been damn close several times, as you well know."

It was Snape's turn to snort. "Yes, you have got into several dire predicaments the last few years. 

Harry decided to be completely honest. "I'm not sure that I should be telling you this, but I'm not sure it matters since you've believed it of me all along anyway. I've been doing a lot of thinking this summer. Believe it or not, up until now I've never tried to take advantage of my _fame_ ," he sneered the word in disgust. "At this point though, I've decided that I intend to use it to my full advantage. Whether I like the idea or not, I have to face Voldemort, and one thing I've finally realized is that Dumbledore truly needs me. Well, I'm going to use my Golden Boy status to see if I can help further my own plans that I'm making for this next school year."

"And what would those plans be?" Snape asked with evident curiosity at this point. 

"Mainly I've been working through various plans and ideas for the DA. Last year we had just a small group and we had to do it in secret. This year I intend to talk Dumbledore into making it an official group and letting me run it without interference from him.”

Snape glared at him. "Why should you be able to run a group like that with no checks from any adults?"

Harry just gazed at him calmly. "Because I'm the one who is required to either kill or be killed. Not Dumbledore, not you, and not anyone else. I'm damn tired of Dumbledore directing my life. This year I intend to make some decisions of my own. Dumbledore can spout off all he likes about school unity and being prepared, but I don't really see him doing a damn thing as far as the students are concerned.”

He held up a hand, knowing Snape would disagree, before continuing his explanation. "Don't get me wrong. I do like the old man and I believe he means well. I just think more needs to be done at the school for all of the students." Harry grimaced. "Not just for his damn Golden Boy."

Snape's eyebrows were raised practically to his hairline again as Harry continued.

"I've had one decent defence teacher in five years." Harry actually grinned. "And you didn't even like that one."

Snape smirked at him for that comment. "No, I did not think it was best to have Lupin in the school at the time. I may have reconsidered a bit since then."

Harry raised his own eyebrow but didn't ask Snape to elaborate. 

"Anyhow, no one in that school is actually learning any defence. Voldemort's out there running around with all his followers and we aren't being taught a fucking thing!" Harry exclaimed.

"Well, I intend to change that. And I'll use my so called fame if I have to, to do it. If it means some late nights or a few trips to the Restricted Section, then so be it. I don't particularly care if it means breaking a few school rules if I can actually prepare the other students."

Snape considered everything Harry was saying. "This is something you've been truly working on, isn't it?"

"Yes," Harry said simply. "To be honest, I'm glad that Dumbledore sent me to you this summer. We may not have ever got along, but believe it or not, I do respect all that you do. I know that I could learn a lot from you. I wasn't exactly prepared last year when you were trying to teach me Occlumency, but now I'm ready to learn whatever you are willing to teach me."

He wasn’t sure if Snape was truly believing everything he was saying, but he was at least listening. "I was planning to write to Hermione today to get some more books. I've been re-reading every course book I've got. It's not the same as having an instructor and it's really not the same when you can't practice the magic."

He stopped as something occurred to him. "Will I be able to actually practice magic here? I was assuming so since Dumbledore said you were to teach me, but won't the Ministry get to me here?" 

"Yes, you will be able to practice magic here. There are many wards set up around the manor and the Ministry will not be able to detect you."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. That makes things a whole lot easier. Anyway, even before I came here I've been trying to learn as much information as I could. Some of what I've been doing is looking for different spells that I can teach to the DA and planning out some of the meetings. Being here now, I'll be a lot more prepared myself."

Snape looked at Harry appraisingly. "Do you intend to take everything I teach you and pass it on to your group?"

He looked at Snape and decided to be honest. "Depending on what you teach me, the answer is no. They need to know defence. I need far more than that. I know I'm the one who has to fight Voldemort. I know that I need as much training as I can possibly get. Basically I think I need to know offense as well as defence. If possible, I would prefer to actually have as much inside information as possible. For future planning, as well as to help prevent me from making any stupid mistakes like I made a few weeks ago. If I had been given further information, I don't know that I would've made that mistake."

He paused for a deep breath. "Whether Dumbledore wants me involved or not, Voldemort does not have those same concerns. Dumbledore wanted me to have a good childhood and didn't want me growing up too soon. Well, it's far too late for that," he said bitterly.

"Which brings us back to the earlier intent of this conversation," Snape said. "Are you willing to tell me now about your home life?"

"You've never answered whether or not you would use the information against me.”

"No," Snape said slowly. "I've already learned far more about you today than I ever knew before. I have the feeling that you are not the same person that I always thought you were." He noted Harry's appearance. "Either that or you've changed more than just your appearance since school let out," he said dryly. 

Harry actually laughed as he glanced at his clothes, which were a part of the new wardrobe he'd bought this summer. "I don't think I've ever been who you seemed to think I was, but I have changed a lot this summer. I guess I'm tired of being who everyone else wants me to be and I set out to get myself my own style. We've already talked about some of my new views on everything. I just felt it was time for me to come into my own and grow up a bit, I guess."

"Indeed," was all Severus said before he stood. "I think we should go downstairs to the kitchen for dinner before we continue this conversation. If I am correct, you didn't even get a chance to eat breakfast this morning.

"No," Harry said bitterly. "I managed to get to the table but decided pretty quickly that it would be best if I just got the hell out of there. Unfortunately, I didn't get very far, as you saw."

"Well, let's see to some food before we discuss this any further," Snape said before he led the way out of the room.

~*~*~*~

Dinner was actually fairly peaceful, if a bit strained. Harry was starved and was happy to finally be able to eat a decent meal again.

Snape offered to show Harry around the manor a bit before leading him to his study. Harry got comfortable in one of the chairs and watched as Snape walked over to a liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of scotch. He glanced back at Harry and seemed to deliberate before pouring a second glass.

He handed one to Harry before settling into another chair. Harry raised an eyebrow but decided he wasn't going to argue with this.

Snape explained anyway. "I think you've earned it after the day you've had. I thought it might help you to relax a bit."

"Thank you," Harry said and he took a small sip. He made a face. He hadn't known what to expect, but he sure hadn't realized that it would burn down his throat. He took another sip and realized it really wasn't so bad once you knew what to expect. He glanced over at Snape and realized that Snape was practically laughing at him. Snape's lips were quirked in a small smile as he watched Harry deal with his drink.

After blinking through his shock at the sight of Snape smiling, Harry smiled wryly. "Yeah, I can't say as I've ever had any experience with alcohol before." He took another sip anyway, and this time actually appreciated the feel of the liquid in his mouth and running down his throat. Already he could feel himself relaxing a bit. 

"So what do you want to know?" he asked.

By this time, he didn't really care what he told Snape. The whole day was completely unreal. Snape was acting more humane now, and he'd even just given Harry a glass of alcohol. Normally, Snape would be more likely to give him Veritaserum. Harry actually glared suspiciously into his glass for a moment before remembering that Snape had poured both their drinks from the same bottle. Snape was drinking his own, so it must be okay. 

Snape actually quirked his lips again as he realized why Harry must be glaring at his glass. "No, I have not put any truth potion into your drink," he said in an amused tone.

Harry turned a weak glare on Snape. "I didn't really think you did, but it certainly would be what you would normally do.” 

"Indeed, I've wanted to many times," Snape agreed. "However, I don't think I would even need to tonight. I believe that you've been telling me the truth today and you will continue to do so."

Harry nodded. "At this point, I must admit I still have my concerns, but I really do need your help." He shrugged. "If I want to be able to work with you this summer, then I'm going to have to trust you. I got burned badly for not trusting you last time, and I don't intend to repeat the same mistake. I just can't afford not to trust you," he added quietly.

They were both silent for several minutes, lost in their own thoughts. 

Finally Snape cleared his throat. "Harry," he began.

Harry looked at him, startled. Snape had _never_ called him by his first name.

"I realize that we do have quite a history," Snape said. "But I find myself agreeing with you. There is still much I would like to know, but it is clear to me that you are not who I thought you were. Perhaps if I call you Harry, rather than Potter, it will help me to remember that you are not your father."

Harry just blinked at him. _Was it possible that Snape had too much to drink tonight? Or maybe I've just had too much and I'm hearing things now?_

"And you may call me Severus while we are working together this summer. I've fought with you for years, but I think it's time that I gave you an honest chance. I want Voldemort gone as much as anyone else. If I need to help you to help get rid of him, then that's what I'm prepared to do at this point.” 

Harry blinked again. He honestly didn't have a clue how to respond. Finally he said, "That's great, Severus." He tripped over the name. "I think it may take just a bit to get used to, though."

Severus smirked at him. "Indeed, this should be an interesting summer."

Harry just nodded emphatically. "And to think that I had already thought this summer was a lot different from normal."

"What are summers normally like?"

Harry finally launched into the explanations that had first been brought up hours before. "For starters, I haven't been kept locked up this year. Technically I wasn't locked up last year either, but like I said before, the last couple of years I had Sirius to hang over their heads. I still didn't have much contact with anyone, but at least I was able to get out of the house last year and take walks once I was done with my chores. I'd head to the park a lot. Anything was better than sitting around that house.”

He hesitated before admitting, "After my first year at Hogwarts, I was truly locked in. Vernon put padlocks on my bedroom door and bars on my window. He put a cat flap in the door so they could pass a bit of food to me now and then. I got let out a couple times a day to use the bathroom and that was about it, until the Weasleys came to rescue me.”

He took a sip from his glass. "That's why they started sending food to me the next year. Uncle Vernon had left the bars off so Hedwig could finally get out again. He got tired of her screeching. After third year they were also a bit concerned about Sirius coming after them. See, they'd seen him on the news. I didn't bother to tell them that he was innocent. I still had my chores and didn't get much in the way of food, but they lay off a bit and didn't lock me in again.”

Severus was frowning, but he didn’t interrupt.

"After fourth year there were a few more problems. By then the nightmares were pretty bad. My scar had started hurting more too, since Voldemort was back. Let's just say it wasn't exactly pleasant last year, even if I could get out of the house." 

Harry paused to think a bit. "Basically, I've just been treated like a house elf with certain duties to fulfil and appropriate punishments when necessary."

"What about before you came to Hogwarts?"

Harry told him about all the troubles he'd had receiving his first letter and the meeting with Hagrid. 

"You didn't even know you were a wizard until you turned eleven?" Severus was shocked.

"No," Harry said simply. "I didn't even know there was such a thing as magic. A few strange things had happened over the years that I know now were magic, but I didn't know at the time why I was being punished for them. I didn't know anything about my parents, either. I wasn't allowed to ask and the one thing I was told is that they had died in a car crash. And supposedly that's where I got my scar from."

He shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't really know as much as I should have about the Muggle world either. I did to some extent, but I wasn't allowed to have any friends at school because Dudley scared them all away. At home, I was never allowed to play. I would have a ton of chores to do or I would be locked in my cupboard."

Severus interrupted. "What do you mean 'your cupboard'?"

"My bedroom, if you want to call it that, was the cupboard under the stairs. There was an old mattress in there, but not much else. A bare light bulb provided a little light but when it would burn out, it would take forever before they would decide to replace it. Sometimes they would keep me in there for days at a time to punish me for whatever reason."

Harry held up a hand. "And before you ask, my supposed crimes were usually something like trying to nick a bit of food or because I accidentally dropped something while I was working. I knew better than to ever actually do anything wrong."

He smirked at Severus, "Believe it or not, I've not always set out to deliberately cause trouble. Most of the time, I've actually tried to avoid it at all costs."

Severus smirked at him in return. "It seems that trouble really does just come to you, rather than you going out searching for it."

Harry sighed heavily. "Isn't that the truth?" he muttered. He finished off his drink.

Severus picked up his glass and went to the cabinet to refill it. Once he was seated again, he asked Harry for more details about his childhood. Harry slowly sipped his drink and answered the best he could. 

Eventually, Harry's head started drooping and he was trying to suppress his yawns. Severus sent him on up to bed for the night. Severus, though, sat there for several more hours thinking about all that Harry had said that day. Harry Potter was definitely not the same boy that he had thought he was.


	4. Chapter 4

The next couple of weeks were an adjustment for both of them. They still had plenty of arguments, but the pointless insults seemed to be a thing of the past. They adjusted to living and working together, and after dinner continued as a time for them to be able to sit down and talk to each other a little about everything. Severus would pour them each a Scotch and they would settle in to discuss whatever topics. 

The topics varied widely. They discussed more of Harry's past, both with the Dursleys and at school. They spent time going over whatever topic Severus was teaching him that day, going over what had gone well and what hadn't. Severus even began detailing information about the Death Eaters for Harry. 

Dumbledore may not have thought it wise, but Severus finally seemed to realize the validity of Harry needing to know as much as he possibly could about the Death Eaters. The boy was expected to face these enemies, and already had on a few occasions. Why was he being expected to fight without all available known information? 

On the occasions when Severus had to go to Order meetings, he came back and outlined all of the information that he had learned. Severus was still mildly surprised when Harry would ask intelligent questions about all the information he was receiving. 

They also spent time discussing Harry's plans for the DA. Harry asked for Severus' input and Severus gave it. Severus was once again impressed that Harry had laid out his plans so well. Harry continued to work on them and Severus helped him refine them. 

There were some serious topics, but overall the evenings were relaxing. During the day however, Severus was still very much the professor and Harry was very much the student. 

Mornings were usually spent brewing potions. Harry found that he really wasn't as bad at potions as he had always thought. Or rather, maybe he was just learning it a whole lot better when Severus was treating him in a more humane manner. Harry supposed it also helped that there was no one around to sabotage his potions now. Whatever the reason, he made progress quickly now that he had the one-on-one instruction. Severus didn't say much, but seemed to be pleased. 

The afternoons tended to be a lot harder. A couple of hours each day they would work on spells of all kinds—hexes, charms, curses, transfigurations. They covered it all. For the first few days, Severus drilled Harry on every possible spell that Harry already knew. Harry didn't realize he even knew that many spells. Any spells that he seemed a bit shaky on, Severus worked on it with him until he could do it right and do it well. After that they reviewed Harry's course books from his first few years.

In the late afternoons, Harry was usually reading. He was working through whatever books Snape gave him to read, which once again covered a wide variety of topics. They covered everything from wandless magic to the dark arts. He wasn't positive about all of it, but he was sure Severus expected him to be able to learn a lot of it this summer. He wasn't sure if he was really capable of doing wandless magic. As for the dark arts, he didn't know if Severus intended for him to be able to practice some of the dark magic or if it was just so he could learn more about his enemy. He just continued on with his reading for now.

Severus was also adding Occlumency lessons to Harry's schedule. This time around, Severus spent the extra time to explain things better and really make sure that Harry was learning. Meditation techniques and learning to focus became a regular part of Harry's daily routines. Finally he was making some real progress there. Harry was rarely even feeling a twinge in his scar now, which he was extremely thankful for. 

Overall, things were intense, but Harry was glad to be learning so much. He was going to need it.

~*~*~*~

On the night of the 30th, Harry stayed up later than usual talking with Severus. As the time got closer to midnight, Harry was watching the clock more. Waiting for the time to switch over to his birthday had become his own tradition. Finally, Severus asked him what he was doing.

Harry looked a little sheepish. "I don't exactly have any family traditions, but it's kind of become a personal tradition for me to stay up until midnight the night before my birthday. The last few years I've actually received presents from my friends and the owls always deliver them at midnight."

Severus looked at Harry. "Can I guess that you've never had a normal birthday?"

"Depends on what you consider normal," Harry said sarcastically. "Generally I spend my birthday doing chores of whatever kind. I think they would actually remember my birthday because usually my list of things to do that day would be longer and it would have some of the more difficult chores."

"Somehow, I don't think that's what most people would consider normal," Severus said wryly.

Harry shrugged. "It hasn't been so bad since I started school. Like I said, my friends always remember me."

Since it was almost midnight, he got up and went over to the window to open it. By the time he sat back down, the first owl flew into the room. Two more owls followed soon after. 

Harry smiled in pleasure as he relieved the owls of their burdens. He opened the package from Hogwarts first. Hagrid had sent him a note saying happy birthday and a package full of sweets from Honeydukes. Harry opened up a chocolate frog and popped it into his mouth with glee. He grinned at Severus, who just shook his head at Harry with a bit of a smile. 

There was a brief note from Dumbledore wishing him a happy birthday as well, but when he opened the gift, he was shocked. He looked up at Severus.

"Yes," Severus said. "Dumbledore said he was going to send it to you for your birthday. He thinks it will be useful for you and I am inclined to agree with him at this point. I will teach you how to use it properly." He then smirked at Harry, "Seeing as how so far all of your experience with a Pensieve has not exactly been proper."

Harry had the grace to look sheepish again. "I am sorry for that, you know. I was out of line and I know it."

Severus didn't feel like ruining the boy's birthday. "We'll discuss it some other time. For now, I accept your apology." He gestured to Harry's other packages. "What else do you have?"

Harry still looked a little upset, but he soon smiled again after reading the letter from Ron. "The Weasleys are all doing great," he reported happily.

Severus just looked at him askance. "Thank you for letting me know," he said dryly.

Harry just smirked at him as he moved on to open the package. Inside were all kinds of food items from Mrs. Weasley, even including a birthday cake. Ron had also sent Harry a bunch of other sweets.

"Obviously everyone thinks you are extra hungry," Severus said.

Harry shrugged."I usually am by the end of July." 

When he opened the package from Hermione, it also included food items, but this time they were all healthy. Severus raised an eyebrow. 

"Hermione's parents are dentists," Harry explained. "She doesn't usually send sweets. I don't think they plan it, but she and Mrs. Weasley usually make sure I get nutritious things to eat, while Ron and Hagrid make sure I get some sweets, too, since I normally don't get anything in the summer. Besides, I have the feeling Ron thinks sweets are important for a body to function properly."

He looked back into the box from Hermione and pulled out a book. This time it was a book about becoming an Animagus. "She almost always sends a book, too," Harry said wryly.

Severus looked at the book. "You know, this may be something you could work on this summer as well. Being an Animagus could help you out of a tough spot if need be. I'm going to teach you how to Apparate as well."

Harry looked at him in surprise. "You do know that I'm just turning 16, not 17, don't you?"

"Since when do you care about the rules, Harry?" Severus asked wryly. "It could mean a chance for you to get to safety in certain situations."

"Well, when you put it that way, when do we start?" Harry said with a cheeky grin.

Severus just ignored him and handed Harry a box from the other side of him. Harry hadn't seen it there earlier. "I hadn't planned on giving you this until tomorrow, but seeing as how you've opened your other presents tonight, it seems appropriate."

Harry was surprised again. He certainly hadn't expected anything from Severus. And it was even wrapped in silver paper. Harry slowly unwrapped the package, then lifted the lid off of the box.

"Wow," he breathed. He glanced up at Severus. 

"It is a special type of snake which is raised to be decorative. Usually they are trained to be worn around the wrist, neck, or the upper arm," Severus explained. He then smirked at Harry and ran his eyes down Harry's attire. "Somehow, with your skills, I do not think you will have a problem actually asking the snake to do whatever you wish. It also seemed fitting with your new choices in clothing."

Harry would've smirked back, but he was already staring at the snake again. It was a beautiful silver colour, and he had never seen such a pretty snake before. His eyes flicked briefly to Severus before he spoke to the snake.

“My name is Harry. What is your name?” Harry hissed to the snake.

“You surprise me, young master. You speak my tongue. My name is Suziana.”

“Hello Suziana. Yes, I speak your tongue. You are very beautiful.”

“Thank you. I think I will look well on you. Do you agree?”

“Oh, yes. Would you like to rest on my arm?”

“Certainly, young master. I was raised to adorn. It will be my pleasure to have you as my master who can also speak with me.”

Harry stuck his arm into the box. Suziana slithered onto his hand and up his arm before wrapping herself around his upper arm. He looked back to Severus with awe still shining in his eyes. "She's beautiful, Severus. Thank you very much."

Severus had his own look of awe after listening to Harry converse with the snake in Parseltongue. "You are welcome, Harry. She seems to suit you."

Harry looked back down at the snake on his arm. "She says her name is Suziana and she's happy to have me as her master because I can actually talk to her."

"Why don't you take her and head off to bed. It's very late.”

Harry got up to leave, but Severus had one more thing to say.

"Happy Birthday, Harry."

Harry smiled happily. "Thank you," he said softly before walking out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning after breakfast, Harry was expecting to go to the lab and work on some potion or other. Severus stopped him before he could head for the lab, though. 

"No, you've worked hard the last couple of weeks without a day off. I think for once you shall have no work on your birthday," Severus said quietly.

Harry spluttered. "I told you about always working on my birthday, but I never meant that I didn't want to do my training with you."

"I know, Harry, but you would deserve a day off even if it wasn't your birthday. Go ride your broom or go exploring or something. Surely there must be something you'd rather do than work on your birthday.”

At that, Harry looked tempted. Getting out on his broom really did sound like a fine idea.

"Go on then," Severus said with an actual smile. "Get out of here."

So Harry went.

~*~*~*~

After riding his broom around for most of the morning and exploring the grounds, Harry went and had lunch with Severus. He then made sure it was okay and decided to start exploring inside the manor during the afternoon. The place really was huge. Harry wandered the different rooms and eventually came upon a set of narrow stairs at the back of the manor. He made his way up and found himself in what appeared to be an attic.

There were boxes and trunks stacked all over the place and there was a major layer of dust over everything. 

_Now this is a place I can really explore!_

Harry did a couple of charms to clear the dust and then started in on one of the trunks.

He poked around for a couple of hours, just looking through other people's old junk. And mostly that's what it seemed to be. There were old, outdated clothes and old course books. He glanced through some old newspapers and magazines but didn't find much of interest. There were plenty of odds and ends that he didn't recognize. He doubted any of it was very useful, though, since the items had been tossed in with lots of other junk. 

He came across a small box towards the back of the room and opened it up. He wasn't expecting much when he picked up a small book off the top. He almost dropped it in shock when he opened it to the front page, though.

Harry sank to the floor as he began to read.

~*~*~*~

Harry came bounding down the stairs, searching out Severus in his study. He knocked on the door and heard a terse, "Enter."

Upon entering, he stopped to try to gather his thoughts, which were swirling around in his head. Maybe he should have waited before confronting Severus with everything he had found this afternoon. 

"What is it, Harry? Is there a reason that you've come barging in here?" Severus asked him, concern evident in his voice. 

Unable to think of what else to say, Harry answered with a sneer, "Yes, _Father_ , I've found some information this afternoon that you might be interested in."

Harry watched as shock registered briefly on Severus' face before the blank mask came crashing back down. 

"What are you blithering about? I'm not your father. We both know that James is your father, and anyone looking at you has been able to tell that for years." Severus knew that James was Harry's father. It had angered him no end for sixteen years now. 

"Oh, yes, that's what we've all known, isn't it?" Harry sneered with a remarkable impression of Snape's own patented sneer. "But haven't you noticed how much I've changed this summer? We both have wondered why my face has been changing. Wondered why my hair has grown and seemed to actually become even blacker than it had been, if that's even possible. Also, I've never been able to get my hair to lie flat for the life of me. Now, it's completely straight without me ever doing a thing to it. Tell me, Severus, do I truly look like James Potter any longer?"

Severus looked at Harry. Looking for those characteristics that had always made him look like James. As he gazed at Harry, he realized that there really was nothing left that made him look like James. But he couldn't actually be his own son, could he? How could Harry Potter be his son? That just didn't make any sense. He would have known. "Obviously you've been changing your appearance this summer, Harry, but that doesn't make you my son."

"Oh, but that's where you’re wrong, _Father_. It seems my mother was extraordinarily good at charms. Was she not?"

"Yes, admittedly your mother was very good at charms, but what has that to do with anything?"

"Well, you see, Severus, it seems that my mother tried to protect me in more ways than anyone had ever realized. She placed several charms on me to make me look like James until I turned sixteen. Seems she thought I would be more at risk from Voldemort if he was to find out that I was the son of one of his Death Eaters."

Harry gave this information to Severus and watched closely for any reactions. There wasn't much, but he was sure that there was some recognition that this made sense. But still Severus didn't say anything, waiting for Harry to continue.

"You see, _Father_ , my mother kept a journal. Seems no one but she knew what she had done to protect me. She wrote down all the charms that she used to protect me. She wrote down all her thoughts and feelings about what was going on at that time in her life."

Harry thought about all that he had read that afternoon. He was far from having come to terms with all he'd read. In particular, he didn't understand how his mother could have had Severus as a secret lover and no one had ever known. 

Upon reflection, though, he did realize that Severus was very good at spying for a reason. He had already come to respect the man for his ability to mask everything in front of Voldemort and be able to keep the secrets necessary to continue spying. If he could successfully keep secrets that affected the entire Wizarding world, would it really be that hard to keep secret his love for Lily? He knew that he couldn't offer her the life she deserved, and from what Lily had written, Severus had actually pushed her further towards James. 

It seemed that Severus had hopes that James and his friends would be able to help protect Lily, whereas he knew that he could not with his double life as Death Eater and spy for Dumbledore. 

Harry visibly shook himself from his thoughts. He looked again at Severus, his father. "It's ironic, all that I've always been told about James. I've learned far more about my mother in just this one afternoon. Honestly," he gazed at Severus, "I'm still trying to assimilate all of this myself. I'm sure this is almost as much of a shock to you as it is to me. But while you may not have known I was your son, you obviously knew much more about my mother than most people ever realized." 

Harry tossed the journal he was still holding down onto Severus' desk. "I would like this back because it's the only thing I've ever seen of my mother's, but you deserve a chance to read this. Technically, I guess it's actually yours. You see, she wrote that she was going to send this journal to you. She didn't want to die without you, or me, knowing the truth. She mentions in one of her last entries that she was sending this to you with a house elf. I can only guess that the house elf is the one who buried it in your attic so that it wouldn't be found."

All of the fight left Harry. He felt numb and still overwhelmingly confused. In one afternoon his whole life was turned upside down. He looked at Severus, who still had that blank mask. "I'll leave you to it," Harry said as he spun on his heel and swept out of the room.

Severus watched as Harry left the room in a manner that he couldn't help but notice was reminiscent of one of his own dramatic exits. Could Harry truly be his son? He glanced at the journal on his desk. He had the feeling that a lot of buried memories were about to resurface. As he opened the journal to the first page, at the first sight of what was unmistakably Lily's handwriting, he was immediately lost in a forgot time.

~*~*~*~

Harry went back to his room and collapsed face down on his bed. Just when he thought he was taking charge of his own life, he'd found something else to throw it into upheaval. Logically, he had no doubts that what he had read in the journal was true. It just pulled too many of the puzzle pieces of his life together into an organized pattern for it not to be right.

It explained the changes in his appearance, for one. He realized that all of the charms hadn't likely worn off yet. He wondered what his true appearance really was. He'd already changed so much this summer. Was he even likely to recognize himself much longer? 

The revelations actually explained a lot of Snape's behaviour towards him over the years. Snape obviously resented Harry as the child that should have been his. But he'd given up that chance when he'd been caught up in the fight for the Wizarding world. 

It also explained, though, why Snape had actually worked towards saving him so many times. Even if Snape had thought that Harry was James' son, he was still also Lily's son. Snape wouldn't have wanted Lily's son to die. 

Yes, the pieces made sense in the existence of Harry's life. Harry knew this logically. But he was still unsure how he truly felt about all of these revelations. He had a father—who was alive. As well, they had shared a loathing for many years. Could they overcome everything from years past and actually have a father-son relationship? Did Harry want to? Did Snape want to? 

They had managed to develop a working relationship over the last two weeks. Harry had even begun to think he and Severus could become friends. But now Harry wasn't sure what to think. It was possible this would just push them further apart again and they would lose what they had managed to gain.

Harry's emotions caught up to him as he realized how much had been lost over the years. He had had a father all these years, yet he had been stuck with the Dursleys. He had thought he had no true family and now he found out that he actually had a father. He buried his face in his pillow as the tears came. So much lost and he didn't know if he would be able to regain any kind of family. He lay there and cried himself to sleep.

~*~*~*~

As Harry came awake, he realized that Severus was sitting in a chair beside the bed watching him. There was no sign of what he was thinking and Harry wasn't sure what to say himself. He slowly sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed and just sat there waiting. Really, what was he supposed to say? He was sure that Severus had read the entire journal and understood everything that he did now. The question was what they were going to do with this new knowledge.

Harry looked down at his feet hanging off the side of the bed. He knew what he wanted. Despite their history, he really wanted Severus to actually claim him as his son. He'd always wanted a family and this was his chance to claim that. But would Severus truly accept that?

Severus reached over to tilt Harry's chin up so he could look into his eyes. They gazed at each other for a long moment. Then Severus released his chin and held out his arms in a welcoming gesture. Harry stared for a moment longer before he practically leapt off the bed and into Severus' arms. He ended up practically curling up into Severus' lap, hands clutching at his robes as he sobbed his heart out. 

Severus gazed down at the boy huddled on his lap. There was a sense of unreality considering this was Harry Potter, and yet, it felt so right. This was his son. _I am a father. Harry's father._ He rubbed Harry's back, trying to soothe him as he rested his cheek against Harry's hair. 

Harry allowed himself to be soothed by Severus. _I have a father. I finally have a family._ It may not have felt real yet, but he was going to take what he could get. They sat there soaking up each other's warmth and presence, lost in their own thoughts.

~*~*~*~

"Harry," Severus said finally. "Your mother certainly gave us a lot to think about. What are you feeling? What are your thoughts about all of this?"

Harry didn't really want to move and lose this closeness, but he slowly sat up to regard the man. He didn't leave the comfort of Severus' lap, though. He just couldn't seem to force himself to leave. Finally, however, he got up and sat back on the bed again. He knew they needed to have this conversation.

Severus started to say something and then stopped himself. He got up out of the chair and Harry thought for a moment that he was simply going to leave. 

Instead, Severus said, "Let's go to the study where I can pour us both a Scotch. I think we could both use one right now."

Harry just nodded and followed Snape to the study, where he curled up tight in his favourite chair. He hugged his knees to his chest and rested his head on his knees.

Suziana slithered off of Harry's arm and draped herself around Harry's neck where she could be more comfortable. 

“Are you better now, young master?”

“Not really. Well, a little. I don't know.”

“You don't sound like you are quite sure.”

“I'm not sure at all. I like the idea of having a father, but I'm not sure how Severus feels about it yet. He did hold me, though, and that was nice.”

“I'm sure it will all be fine, young master. He is trying to give you something.”

“Thank you, Suziana.”

Harry glanced up and realized that Severus was watching him talk to the snake. He held out the glass to Harry. Harry accepted it and took a long swallow, feeling it burn down his throat. He laid his head back on his knees and closed his eyes for a few minutes. Finally he looked up again. 

"Are you angry with me?" Harry asked.

Severus was surprised. "Why would I be angry with you?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Because I exist. You didn't know you had a son and then 'poof', here I am."

"Oh, Harry, I'm not angry with you at all." Severus looked at Harry huddled in the chair. "Come here."

Harry slowly obeyed and moved to stand in front of Severus, who grabbed Harry and pulled him down onto his lap. He hugged Harry tightly against his chest as he had in Harry's room a little earlier.

"I'm not sure how to be a father. I never expected to have a child, and I certainly never realized that you were mine. And that, actually, is why I am angry. I've missed out on the first sixteen years of your life. I've made your life as miserable as I could the last five years because you were James Potter's son and I resented that. I'm angry at myself for treating you so badly. I'm angry that you had to live with those despicable Muggles all of these years. I'm also angry because the truth has been so close all along and I didn't know it." Severus took a deep breath. "I'm angry for a lot of reasons, but I'm not angry at you and I'm not angry because you are my son." His arms tightened once again around Harry.

Harry raised his head off of Severus' shoulder so he could look at him. "So does this mean you are okay with being my father?" he asked apprehensively.

"I've learned a lot about you over the last couple of weeks. I've learned more about who you truly are." He looked Harry straight in the eye. "Yes, Harry, I would be proud to be your father."

Harry's eyes glistened again with tears, but he smiled and his face was bright with happiness. He couldn't seem to speak, though. He just laid his head back down and hugged his father tightly. They sat that way for a long time.

All of a sudden, Harry popped his head up. "I got a father for my birthday!"

Severus chuckled. "Indeed. It seems that you have."

Harry looked at him hesitantly. "So, does this mean that I can call you father now?"

Severus looked a bit shocked.

Harry quickly said, "I don't have to. I just thought maybe . . .," he trailed off and tried to slide off Severus' lap. But Severus held him tight and wouldn't let him go. He tilted Harry's chin up.

"I was just surprised by your question," Severus explained. "This is all new to me as well, and that was something that hadn't occurred to me yet. And to be honest, even if it had occurred to me, I would have probably still been surprised that you would even want to call me father."

"I suppose it will be something that we will both have to get used to, Father," Harry said with a shy smile.

Severus just smiled in return and pulled Harry into another hug.

Harry had another question to ask. "The journal said that the charms she placed would start wearing off around my sixteenth birthday. Obviously that's why my appearance has been changing, more than what I've done this summer." He hesitated for just a moment. "Could you do the counter spells for me? I'd like to see what I actually look like."

"Would you like to do it now?" Severus asked.

Harry stood up finally. "Yeah, I think I would." All of a sudden he smirked. "I guess I now get a new look for my birthday as well."

Still, he moved to retrieve his drink and gulped the rest of it down while Severus retrieved the journal that listed the necessary spells.

"Ready?" Severus asked after conjuring up a full length mirror.

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. Severus performed the counter charms and both of them just stared at the image of Harry now in the mirror. Severus moved to stand behind Harry so both of their images were reflected. 

Harry quirked an eyebrow, which made Severus do the same. Harry started laughing.

"I think it will actually be easier to call you father now," he said, clearly amused.

Severus was amused as well. "Indeed. For some reason, I don't see a problem as recognizing you as my son."

This just made Harry laugh more. "I think _everyone_ will be able to recognize that I am your son."

Severus chuckled. "Indeed," he repeated. 

Harry gazed at himself in the mirror. He supposed he hadn't really changed that much more than what he had already this summer. His hair had already changed for the most part and he'd noticed some fine changes in his face before. But now he realized that he had his father's chin and especially his father's high cheekbones. Harry was thankful he still had his mother's nose. But overall, his face was much narrower, whereas before he'd had more of a boyish round face. 

As Harry studied himself, he realized that his looks were actually quite attractive now. He briefly thought of Draco Malfoy when it hit him that he was finding himself attractive. Malfoy was such a vain git. It sounded odd, but in a way this was a stranger he was seeing in the mirror. He tilted his head side to side, studying his features.

"You know, I think I got the best features from both you and mum.”

Severus nodded in agreement. "I think your new appearance suits you now. You are not a boy any longer. You are now a striking young man."

Harry turned. "Thank you, Father," he said quietly.

"You're welcome, Son," Severus returned, just as softly.


	6. Chapter 6

The next couple of weeks were just as busy as the previous two weeks had been. Harry continued to study and train hard. He was beginning to think he had learned more in the last month than he had in the previous five years. Maybe it was just because he was learning so much more advanced material now. 

He'd learned to Apparate, for one. He had been more of a nervous wreck during that training than he had been about any of the duels he'd participated in with his father. There was just something about the idea of possible splinching that had held Harry back for quite a while. The thought of splinching still made him shiver, but he was now confident in his ability to Apparate. 

During their spell training time, Severus always had Harry duel him for a while. Severus might be recognized as his father now, but Harry had quickly learned that it didn't mean he was going to go easy on Harry. He always felt battered after a duel with his father, but he was improving drastically. 

Harry had begun his Animagus training and it was going well enough, but he still did not know what kind of animal he would transform into. Severus had never bothered to learn it before and was actually going through this training with Harry.

Harry could now brew almost every single potion that Severus taught at Hogwarts. Considering that he was getting one on one instruction from the Potions Master himself, it wasn't particularly surprising. What was surprising was that Harry actually seemed to have more of a knack for it than they had first thought. 

Harry even developed a simple potion on his own that would help protect hair from the potion fumes. He liked his new shiny black hair, and he was damned if he wanted it all greasy like Severus' always was. Severus tested it for him, and so far it seemed to be working wonderfully. It was certainly amazing the difference it made in his father's appearance. 

Harry had asked why his father hadn't bothered to do something like this before. Severus had just said that he'd never really had much of a reason to care before. Even when he'd been with Lily, it had all been a secret. Changing his appearance would have been a clue that something was up.

Personally, Harry seemed to think that some of the charms protecting his own appearance all these years may have been inhibiting skills he'd inherited from his father. They had discussed it at length, and Severus seemed to agree. Harry was certainly picking up on the information a lot quicker and he was retaining it now. 

In fact, his memory seemed to be better all the way around now. Harry might have gained an affinity for potions like his father, but he was also able to retain more from all his other studies as well. Studying had been necessary before, but now it was almost a pleasure as well. It was much more enjoyable when you could remember all of the information.

After the time spent flying on his birthday, Harry made sure that he now spent time flying again every day. He had access to his own personal pitch. Training or not, he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass him by anymore. Flying was relaxing for him, but even there he used the time to practice new skills.

They continued their talks each night. As father and son they were enjoying the time spent together even more than they had before. Previously, it had mainly been about relaxing and companionship. Now it was family time, which made it more special. They both enjoyed the intelligent conversation. 

Severus still had periodic meetings with Dumbledore, and he had come back from one such meeting with some important information. 

"Lucius Malfoy is now a spy like you?"

"Yes," Severus said dryly. "Albus just informed me of this. From what I gather, Albus has been working with Lucius for the last several weeks, as it seems that Lucius was not actually happy with the Dark Lord's return last year. He wants out, but hasn't known how to get out. Obviously, he does not know that I am a spy."

Harry just stared at him open mouthed.

Severus ignored Harry's stupefaction and continued. "I gather he requested to see Albus not long after he was imprisoned. He volunteered any information and his willingness to spy for our side. Obviously, he did this partly to be released from prison, but I'm actually inclined to believe that he really has changed sides."

Harry finally shook his head to clear it a bit. "Why do you think he's changed sides?" he asked curiously.

Severus thought about that for a few moments. "I've known Lucius for a very long time. He's a strong man, and he's really not the type to want to follow Voldemort."

Harry looked confused. "I don't understand. Don't a lot of people join up with Voldemort because they want the power?"

"True," Severus said, "but here's where Lucius is different from many of the others. See, Lucius actually does have a lot of power in the Wizarding world. He holds several high ranking positions and he's had a lot of influence over the Ministry. He does crave power, yes, but by being with Voldemort, he's not actually gaining power. He's risking his power instead."

Harry was beginning to nod in understanding.

"Over the last year, the problem for Lucius has been that you just don't get to decide that you want to walk away from the Dark Lord. It doesn't happen. However, it's also extremely difficult to just waltz over to the other side when you're a Death Eater. There are still many people, even within the Order, who don't trust me after all this time has passed.” 

Harry thought about all this. It actually made sense. Why would Lucius want to bow down before someone else when, up until he landed in prison, people had actually looked up to him?

"Okay, I can understand that," Harry said. "But is Lucius actually a decent man, even if he is switching sides? My dealings with him, and most of what I've heard, are not exactly good." Harry held up a hand to stop Severus from speaking for a moment. "I realize that doesn't necessarily mean much. I mean, I already know that you are forced to do a lot of things in your role as Death Eater and you play a fine line balancing the two sides. But just because you are a good man underneath it all doesn't necessarily mean that Lucius is."

"I'm not sure," Severus said honestly. "He may very well have valid explanations for everything he's done. I will be able to answer that better once I have talked to him, but I'm hopeful. As I said before, he's a strong man with firm beliefs. I believe it's quite possible that Lucius Malfoy has actually been doing a fair amount of good in the Ministry. Many of us believe that the Ministry overall is corrupt. What if all this time, Lucius has actually been working underhanded to help control at least some of that corruption?"

Harry looked taken aback at that. Now _that_ was a novel idea. Lucius Malfoy not corrupting the Ministry all these years, but actually trying to help it? With Voldemort still out there somewhere, he wouldn't be able to come out and help openly and risk Voldemort finding out.

"So, because Voldemort was gone, but not really gone, Lucius has still been riding the fence like you've been all these years? He could have been doing what he could, but at the same time still had to play the farce of being a Death Eater as well."

Severus nodded. "I have no way of knowing this for sure, but I suspect this is the case. Albus was not very forthcoming when I asked him."

Harry just rolled his eyes. "When does he ever just come right out and say anything?" Then he paused before adding, "But I bet Dumbledore did tell you that he trusted Lucius, didn't he?"

Severus smiled slightly as he nodded. "Yes, he did, and I think you know what that means by now."

Harry grinned. "Yep, it means that whether your guesses are right or not, there is some valid reason for Lucius' actions, he's basically a good guy, and he's on our side now."

"Yes. I'd say that once Albus went to meet with Lucius, he received a lot of information about the Dark Lord. I do know that Albus has somehow managed to concoct some feasible story that has allowed Lucius to be released from prison. Voldemort is happy and doesn't seem to suspect anything. The Wizarding world isn't overly impressed with his release, but that's just helped to ensure that Voldemort doesn't suspect anything."

"When was he released?"

"Just a couple of days ago. I saw the Daily Prophet in Dumbledore's office. The article concerning Lucius' release is suitably vague. It really just states that, because of technicalities, Lucius was falsely imprisoned. I'm sure I'll never know exactly how Dumbledore managed to pull it off." Severus sounded impressed.

"So who all knows that Lucius is a spy now? Does the Order know?"

Severus shook his head. "I actually think only me, you and Dumbledore know. Possibly Draco. Dumbledore let me know for obvious reasons, but he seems to want to keep it quiet for now. Voldemort gives Lucius more information than he does most of his other Death Eaters. I doubt Dumbledore wants to risk that by letting everyone in the order know right away."

Harry looked at his father. "Actually, I need to thank you. I appreciate that you've told me. I'm sure that Dumbledore wouldn't tell me anything," he said with a slightly bitter tone.

"I told you before that I would tell you whatever I could. Yes, this is very sensitive information, but I trust you to keep it secret. I also know that it could be valuable information for you if you get caught up in a bad situation with the Death Eaters.”

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. I've actually got another ally now, don't I?"

"You do. I don't know if Lucius has been informed of the prophecy or not, but prophecy or no, everyone still expects you to be able to help bring Voldemort down, since you did it before. Lucius will help to protect you, if it is possible for him to do so.”

"Well, that's good to know.”

~*~*~*~

The next night turned to a discussion that Lucius Malfoy would have been extremely familiar with. The Dark Arts. This was something that Harry had always known his father knew a lot about, and Harry had been given several informative books to read over the previous weeks.

Harry tried to get his thoughts straight about the subject. "So tell me if I'm finally getting this sorted out right. First of all, Dark Arts is mostly just a general classification designated by the Ministry? The Ministry somewhere way back when arbitrarily decided what was Dark Magic and what was Light magic."

Severus agreed, but went on to clarify it for Harry. "Yes, but you do have to remember that there actually is a lot of truth to their classifications. There was a reason that such a distinction happened in the first place."

Severus slipped into Professor mode easily. "Spells and potions were often considered to be dark because they did more direct harm to people. Much of the Dark Arts is so classified because it is destructive and that's its only purpose. The Dark Arts are considered evil for that reason. There are definitely plenty of spells, potions, and magical objects that fit that description. However, there is a lot that is classified as Dark Arts that is not necessarily destructive. It really comes down to intent for a lot of magic. Take the _Incendio_ charm that you are taught at Hogwarts."

Harry protested, "But that's not Dark Arts! I thought we were discussing dark magic."

"We are," Severus said. "Obviously you do not consider _Incendio_ to be a dark spell. And if I use the spell to light a fire in a fireplace, you're right; it's not considered Dark Arts. I'm not being destructive in any way. However, what if I decide to use _Incendio_ to light someone's house on fire? Is the spell destructive then?"

"Well, yes," Harry said slowly.

"See, it is really the intent of the person using the spell that makes the difference," Severus explained. "There is actually a wide gray area of spells that could be considered either dark or light depending on intent. And that's where the Ministry stepped in. Depending on the overall use of a spell at the time, spells were classified as either dark or light. However, much of that dark magic can be considered very useful, depending on the intent."

Severus gestured to Harry. "Now let's take a very extreme case. Your situation to be exact. The killing curse is obviously Dark Arts, correct?"

"Yes, of course it is. Going by the definition of intent, it's always destructive to kill someone," Harry said.

"Indeed. However, in your situation you must kill Voldemort. If you use the killing curse on him, is it truly your intent to destroy him?"

"Well, yeah, I fully intend to destroy the bastard using whatever it takes to do that.”

"All right, but are you just planning to kill him for the sake of destruction, or is your real intent to be able to rid the Wizarding world of his evil?" Severus asked. He watched for Harry's reaction.

Harry's face showed dawning comprehension. "In my situation, I'm not really intending to harm someone, even though that's what the end result would be," he said slowly. "My true intent is not to be dark and evil, but to protect people. In any situation of kill or be killed, a person could use Avada Kedavra to protect themselves while not actually meaning harm to the other person."

Severus nodded, but otherwise just watched and waited for Harry to sort through all of this.

"So when people say that using Dark Arts makes a person evil, that's not really true, is it?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

Severus just shook his head.

"So, going back to Voldemort, he's not actually a dark wizard because he uses the Dark Arts. He's the Dark Lord because his intent is to harm and destroy. He wants to be evil. Merlin knows he actually enjoys being a sadistic bastard," Harry said, feeling like he was finally getting it. "The magic isn't what makes Voldemort a dark wizard, it's Voldemort who uses magic in such a manner to aid him in his destruction."

Severus smiled, pleased that Harry understood. "Yes. Now, unfortunately, many people don't bother to truly understand this. They see the manner in which someone like Voldemort uses the curses and declare the magic as dark. It is understandable to a certain extent. But as I said earlier, there is so much gray area. I think there are many useful spells that you should learn, even though they are considered Dark Arts by the majority.”

He looked at Harry. "Now here's the irony. I also think you should actually learn to use the unforgivable, as well as some of the truly Dark Arts spells."

Harry looked at him askance, but he was beginning to understand. "Because whether I like it or not, these are not normal circumstances and I'm the one at the heart of the war with Voldemort and his followers. You want me to learn even the nasty spells because that would give me an advantage, or at least a more even footing when I have to fight."

"Exactly," Severus said. "Even if you were to learn and use some of the nastier spells, it's not going to make you evil. I'm sure many people would prefer that you not use the Dark Arts. But I think that just puts you at a major disadvantage. You need to be able to use all resources if you wish to succeed."

Severus looked thoughtfully at Harry. "To be honest, Harry, I think this may be one of the main reasons Dumbledore sent you to me this summer. Dumbledore is seen as the true Light wizard of our time. But I think Dumbledore actually expected me to teach you the Dark Arts this summer."

Harry thought about what Dumbledore had said that day in his office. "You're right," he said. "Dumbledore said that you had special inside knowledge and skills. You're not evil, but you do have the ability to teach me the Dark Arts that Dumbledore doesn't." He smirked. "And you don't care if your image is tarnished by having that ability and knowledge like Dumbledore does."

Severus chuckled. "No, it would not be the first time I was accused of being dark and evil bastard."

"Ah, you're just another evil Slytherin git!" Harry laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

So, with two weeks left before school started, Harry started his crash course in the Dark Arts. It was intense, and could get pretty nasty at times, but he was learning it quickly. If it would help him against the Death Eaters, then it was worth it. 

Harry knew that he'd just got very lucky in his previous encounters with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. A little bit of skill and talent, with a lot of luck, had got him this far in life. 

He was beginning to feel that even if his luck ran out, he'd still have a damn good chance of succeeding and fulfilling the prophecy. He was a powerful wizard and he was finally realizing that. Severus was helping him to reach his potential. It wasn't about luck so much anymore, although Harry would still accept whatever good luck he could get, of course.

But now he had the skills to back up that luck, and he was able to win a fair amount of the duels he had with Severus. He had knowledge, strength, power, and quick reflexes that he was bringing to the duels, and he was working to perfect these skills every day.

Around the same time Harry was getting started on the Dark Arts, he was also thinking through some possible plans for the coming year. A couple of nights later, he finally brought it up with Severus. 

"I've been thinking," Harry said.

Severus looked at him wryly. "Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

Harry just glared at him before going on with what he had been about to say.

"No one but you, me and Dumbledore know about my change in appearance. And Dumbledore knows that I'm your son, but he was asked to keep it quiet until we decided to let everyone know. I look completely different from when I last saw everyone, and even my voice has changed. Personally, I think my attitude has changed drastically as well. So really, I don't think anyone would even recognize me right now. Wouldn't you say that was true, Father?" 

Severus nodded his head, but didn't say anything. He wasn't sure where Harry was going with this discussion. 

Harry carried on speaking his thoughts out loud. "I've been hiding out here all summer and it's been effective. No one has a clue as to where I am or what I've been doing. Which is good for a lot of reasons. For example, the Weasleys have probably been safer this year because Harry Potter wasn't around at all. Because we all know that trouble is attracted to Harry Potter."

Severus snorted at that statement. Harry grinned at him before carrying on. "Yes, Harry Potter, just by _being_ Harry Potter, tends to run into more difficulties. And those around him end up in more danger as well. Voldemort tends to go after Harry Potter on a regular basis."

He paused there and Severus finally asked him, "Where are you going with this rambling, Harry?"

"Well, what if Harry Potter went into hiding this school year, as well as this summer? Wouldn't that help protect him, along with everyone else around him? Wouldn't there be less chance of trouble from Voldemort?" He asked Severus the questions, but he didn't actually wait for any answers before he moved on to the question he really wanted to ask. 

"What if Harry Potter went into hiding and Dustin Snape went to Hogwarts this year instead?"

Severus' jaw dropped and he stared at Harry.

Harry hurriedly tried to explain. "If I enrolled as your son, Dustin Snape, I really don't think anyone would recognize me as Harry Potter. If I used one of mum's charms for my scar and then got some dark contacts to make my eyes look like yours, I wouldn't look anything like I did when I left last spring. We could just tell everyone that I had lived with my mother, but she died this summer so I went to live with you. With Harry Potter out of the school, hopefully Voldemort would be less likely to target the school in any way this year. Especially with Dumbledore backing me, I think I could still follow through with all of my plans for the DA. And actually, I think as Dustin Snape, I'd have a better chance of being able to get the Slytherins involved as well, especially since I'm sure the Sorting Hat would put me in Slytherin this time. If nothing else this would hopefully buy me some time to help get the students more prepared." 

He finally stopped and took a much needed breath.

Out of all the things Harry had said, one item in particular caught Severus' attention. "What do you mean the Sorting Hat would put you in Slytherin _this time_?"

Harry looked at him sheepishly. "I haven't told you about that yet, have I? The hat wanted to place me in Slytherin first year, but I asked to go anywhere but there."

Severus closed his eyes tight and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Harry attempted to explain. "See, Hagrid said all dark wizards came from Slytherin and that was right after he'd told me about Voldemort killing my parents. Then I met Ron on the train and he went off about how evil Slytherins were and that that was the house that Voldemort had been in. And I'd met Draco and he was a real prat and acted like a spoiled brat like my cousin. He showed up on the train spouting off a bunch of shit and it just seemed to confirm what Ron and Hagrid had said. So when the hat started debating whether I should go into Slytherin or not, I argued with it and it decided to put me in Gryffindor." He trailed off, still not sure what his father's reaction was going to be.

Severus finally looked at him. "Did the hat actually say it wanted you in Slytherin?"

"Not exactly. First it said I was difficult." Severus snorted at that but waved Harry on. Harry himself had to grin at that.

"And then it started listing some of my qualities. It said I had lots of courage and not a bad mind. It also said I had talent and a thirst to prove myself." He actually remembered very well everything the Sorting Hat had said. He'd thought about it often over the years. "After that, it was asking itself where it should put me. I just kept repeating 'not Slytherin', so that's when it said I could be great in Slytherin and the house would be able to help me on my way to greatness. I still didn't want to go there and it decided to put me in Gryffindor."

Severus was still trying to take all this in. "So you argued with the hat and got your way?"

"Well yeah," Harry said. "And to be honest, I think I actually made the right decision. I did what I needed to do at the time. I didn't know shit when I got here. I would've been lost in Slytherin, I think."

Severus was pinching the bridge of his nose again. He still couldn't get past the fact that Harry had actually argued with the hat and got away with it. Severus didn't think that was supposed to be possible. He finally realized something else. "The Sorting Hat was basically debating every house but Hufflepuff for you, wasn't it?" 

Harry nodded. "Yes, but if I go through with this plan and get sorted again, I'm sure I won't have any problems with the hat putting me in Slytherin. It strongly suggested it before, and I don't think it would take much persuading." 

He shrugged his shoulders. "It would be helpful for my plans if I was in Slytherin. I already know all the Gryffindors and how they work. I know some of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs as well. But you know my history with the Slytherins. Harry Potter and Slytherins just don't mix. I'm hoping that Dustin Snape, especially with being the Head of House's son, would be able to have some influence over the Slytherins. And if Draco has truly switched sides like his father, then I believe it will be even easier to get the Slytherins involved with the DA. If I can somehow get all the houses united, then we've all got a better chance at surviving the war with Voldemort."

Severus was staring at Harry in wonder now. "Harry, you truly are an ambitious, devious and cunning Slytherin, aren't you?"

"I'm doing my best," Harry said, smirking at him before wincing a little. "So you're not upset with me going into Gryffindor?"

"No, Harry, I'm not upset. I'm surprised, that's all." He studied Harry for a moment. "You continue to surprise me on a regular basis. Today I've just learned that you have even more depth to your personality than I realized."

Harry relaxed finally and went over to give his father a hug. "Thanks for understanding, Father."

After that, they worked through plans to send Dustin Snape instead of Harry Potter to school. Severus seemed to think it was a viable plan. It would certainly give Harry more time to prepare the students for war. Especially since no one else was. 

Harry already looked like Severus and they had developed a fairly strong relationship in just a month's time. Certainly there wouldn't be the old animosity like there had been between Harry Potter and Professor Snape. That fact alone would help to keep people from realizing who he was. No one would suspect Harry of getting along with the professor.

They solved the problems of Harry's scar and his eyes, and then he truly had no resemblance to Harry Potter anymore. His face, his hair, and even his fashion style now were completely different than it had been at the end of term. 

He didn't mention his plans for the DA yet, but they got Dumbledore's support for enrolling Dustin Snape in school. Dumbledore would help cover for the missing Harry Potter. He would be the one to contact Harry's friends and the Weasleys. Harry would not have to try to explain his sudden disappearance, which would hopefully make things more believable.

They worked through all the details and all the contingencies they could think of. Harry was confident that he could pull this off. He would miss his friends, and he knew they would worry about him, but otherwise he wasn't going to miss much about being Harry Potter. 

Of course, eventually everyone would learn about this ruse, but Harry shoved that concern to the back of his mind. He'd worry about that when the time came. Hopefully his friends would understand that he had been trying to help protect everyone.


	8. Chapter 8

Harry woke up excited about the upcoming day. He and his father would be out of the house together for the first time as father and son. He went bounding down the stairs and into the kitchen. As a bonus, he wouldn't be doing any work today. It was going to be a day just for shopping and some fun.

"Good Morning, Father!" Harry greeted his father in a chipper voice.

"Morning to you as well. Are you sure you are ready for today?" Severus knew that today would be a big test of whether or not they would be able to pull things off as they hoped.

Harry thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, I know this is a big day. The hardest thing will be remembering that I'm not supposed to know anybody or anything about this place. It's the choice I've made, though. If Harry Potter is away from everything, hopefully things will be at least a bit safer for everyone." Then he grinned. "Also, Dustin Snape is ready to start his new life. I'm proud to have you my father and I'm not afraid to show it to everyone. It should be interesting to see everyone's reactions to the 'greasy git' having a son!"

Severus allowed a small smile to grace his features. "Indeed."

They sat and ate their breakfast before finishing getting ready to go.

"Ready?" Snape asked.

"Are _you_ ready?" Harry asked him. "I'm fine. For once in my life, I don't have to live up to a reputation. Not my own anyway. You, on the other hand, have a reputation as a right mean bastard. It's bound to take a beating having a son now," he added with a cheeky grin.

Severus thought about it for a moment. "Many will still see me that way. It is a reputation which I intend to encourage, thank you very much. But I'm not ashamed of finally having a son. I'm proud of that fact and I will be happy to be with you today. So let's get out of here."

They Apparated right outside the entrance to Diagon Alley. They shared a look, and then started off in step with each other. Already they were garnering looks from some of the people out shopping. The teen with Snape may have been much shorter, but it was clear from first glance that they were related. 

"Let's start with the apothecary first. You need to get more supplies for your potions this year," Severus told Harry with a smirk on his face.

Harry groaned. "Why do I have the feeling that I'll be getting more supplies than just what I need for class?"

"Yes, indeed. You will be continuing your studies outside of class. You've improved greatly this summer, but there's always more to learn." Severus approached the apothecary with a mission to gather the supplies Harry would need.

Harry simply followed along. He actually wanted the extra lessons, so he really wasn't going to complain too much. As he wandered around while Severus gathered everything he deemed necessary, Harry's attention was drawn outside the window. It looked like his first test was heading his way in the form of Lucius and Draco Malfoy. 

Harry sidled up close to where his father was gathering supplies. "Father, it looks like we have company coming," he said quietly. He took a deep breath and watched as his father did the same after glancing out the window. Harry took another deep breath and muttered, "Showtime."

The bell over the door jangled as the Malfoys entered the store. 

The Snapes watched as the Malfoys took a moment to let their eyes adjust to the low lighting in the store, and then realize that Snape was standing there with an unknown teen.

Severus stepped forward and tilted his head forward slightly. "Lucius, Draco."

"Severus, it's a pleasure to see you, as always," Lucius murmured. "Who do you have with you today?" Both Lucius and Draco were attempting to size up this new teen that was standing quietly next to Snape. 

"Lucius, Draco, allow me to introduce my son, Dustin Snape," Severus replied. He turned to Harry. "Dustin, this is Lucius Malfoy and his son, Draco. You will be attending school in the same year as Draco."

Internally, Harry absolutely loved the looks of shock that were crossing each of the Malfoy's faces. Those cold, aristocratic masks had definitely fallen with that little piece of information. Harry stepped forward and held out his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

It took a moment, but then the usual Malfoy poise came forward for both father and son, and they each shook Harry's hand. 

"Severus, I think a small discussion is in order," Lucius drawled. "Perhaps Draco could take Dustin on to the ice cream parlour to get acquainted for a bit."

Severus glanced at Harry with a question in his eyes. He hadn't planned to leave Harry on his own first thing. Then again, he also hadn't planned on the Malfoys to be the first people that they had met. Harry gave a slight nod. He'd been preparing for this, and he was as ready as he would ever be. Besides, after facing the Malfoys, everyone else should be pretty easy. 

"Certainly, Lucius. Dustin, Draco, we'll meet you in an hour at the ice cream parlour. Draco, this is an unfamiliar location for Dustin. Please try to keep out of trouble," Severus told Draco. 

Draco just nodded. He was still in a bit of shock over the revelation that his professor had a son. Who would have ever guessed? He mentally shook himself and gestured towards the door. "It'd be my pleasure to show you some of the sights of Diagon Alley."

Harry grinned, said goodbye to his father, and nodded towards Lucius. This was going to be an interesting day!

As they stepped back into the bright sunshine and the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley, Harry noticed the sidelong glance that Draco was sending his way. "So, which way do we go, Draco?" Harry knew that Draco was sizing him up. He was sure that Draco was trying to decide how much competition this new boy was going to be. 

Harry would have been surprised to realize that while he may have been right about Draco sizing up the competition, Draco was also registering Harry's appearance. This boy obviously had Snape's lean grace, but he had an awful lot more going for him. The leather trousers, black t-shirt emphasizing lean muscles, the gorgeous sleek black hair hanging to his collar—even the black onyx eyes just like Professor Snape's—made this boy a true vision in black. There were just the right touches of silver added to complete the look—the snake earring, snake trinkets embellishing the short ankle boots, and the truly intriguing final touch was the real silver snake wrapped around his upper arm. 

Draco was raised to appreciate the finer things in life, and this boy was very fine indeed. As far as Draco was concerned, this boy had animal magnetism and sex appeal just oozing from every pore of his body and Draco was soaking it all up. 

As Harry waited for Draco to realize that he was staring and for him to lead the way, he took the opportunity to give Draco another look. He'd spent a lot of time fighting with this boy over the years, and only earlier this summer had he got in touch with his sexuality. He noted Draco's appearance with a new appreciation. 

Draco didn't have the same bad boy image that Harry had going for him lately, but there was an air of elegant grace and sophistication about him. He was wearing black, obviously tailored, trousers that rested low on his hips. His silver long sleeved silk shirt clung nicely to his body. The silver blond hair that had always been slicked back was now loosely framing his face. Harry found it was a much more attractive look, which was sparking his interest. He decided there may be some added bonuses to this new persona of his than he had previously bargained on. 

Draco finally came to his senses and started leading the way further into Diagon Alley. Harry was reminded strongly of his first trip to Diagon Alley as Draco described many of the sights. This truly was a remarkable place. Gradually, they made their way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. It was one of the local hangouts, especially for teens. They each ordered an ice cream, and then sat down at one of the outside tables.

Harry decided to break the ice. He knew that Draco had to be brimming over with curiosity, since nobody had known that Snape had a son. "I've never known my father before this summer. What's he like at school?"

Draco paused briefly before asking his own question. "You've never known your father before?" 

Harry and Severus had gone over all the details of their supposed past history. They didn't want to give out too much detail, though. The less detail out there meant less chance for them to get caught out in a lie. "I grew up with my mother, but she passed away earlier this year. I never knew my father, but her will stated who my father was. He was contacted and I was sent to live with him. It's been a major change in my life, but I'm adjusting all right. My father has been really great. He's such a nice man." Harry knew this would sidetrack Draco's attention. 

Sure enough, Draco seemed flabbergasted. "Professor Snape is _nice_?" 

Harry laughed inwardly even as he gave an outward grin. "Of course! He's so friendly and he's been really understanding. It's been an adjustment for both of us, but he's been helping me out. But what's he like as a teacher? I'm sure all the students must really like him." 

Draco just stared at him for a moment before he answered, "I'm not sure we're talking about the same person anymore." Finally he grinned. "It seems to me that you must be a good influence on your father. He's not exactly the most popular teacher at school. In fact, most of the school hates him because he's so strict with the students. Honestly, he's not even fair most of the time, but he's always treated the Slytherins reasonably well. I'm sure he's told you about the different houses."

"Oh, yes," Harry answered. "My father has been telling me a lot about the school. I'm looking forward to starting next week. I don't really care which house I end up in, though. It seems to me that it's kind of a stupid system to keep everyone separated like that." He knew that he'd be shocking the blond Slytherin once again with that statement.

Sure enough, "What?! You mean you don't want to be in Slytherin like your father?"

Maybe he could help counteract some of Draco's own narrow-mindedness. "No, I'm saying I don't really care. People are people no matter how some hat decides to arbitrarily sort them. I've grown up fairly isolated and don't really like the idea of isolating myself once again according to some preconceived notions. On the other hand, I don't see why I wouldn't be sorted into Slytherin, since my father was there, too. Then again, there might be some other benefits to Slytherin," he added slyly, looking Draco up and down. 

Draco flushed lightly and stared at him for a moment. "I have the feeling that you're going to get things wound up at school this year." He grinned to show that he thought that sounded like a blast. Draco was always for stirring things up a bit, and he saw an opportunity walking their way even as he spoke. 

This was just too good to pass up. "Well, if it isn't the Weasel and the Mudblood," he sneered. "Allow me to introduce you to Professor Snape's son, Dustin Snape." He watched with glee as shock and recognition registered on their faces. He knew they were thinking that it was bad enough they had one Snape always against them. Having two Snapes in the school was bound to mean trouble. 

Harry saw with a bit of heartbreak that his best friends showed absolutely no signs of recognizing who he really was. He knew that's what he wanted—what he needed to do in order to protect them, but it still hurt. He felt like he'd completely lost them. Who knew if they'd ever be able to forgive him? Assuming he could even get rid of Voldemort so he could one day tell them the truth. Maybe he could do something to ease things, though.

He decided to finally speak and interrupt the insults the three of them were throwing at each other. "Why are you guys insulting each other so much?" The reactions he garnered with that question were hilarious. At least it was if you knew the history between them all, which he supposedly didn't. It took a lot of will power to keep the grin off his face when all three stopped in mid action and turned as one to stare at him.

Harry looked at each of them and then asked, "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if I did. I realize I don't know any of you, but you all seem to be nice enough people."

Draco, Ron and Hermione all started spitting and spluttering out their apologies to him. Not a one of them really wanted to get on the bad side of Professor Snape's son. They all realized that could mean a very difficult start to the new year.

Harry decided to play with them a bit more. He knew his next statement would be difficult for all three to stomach. "My father just introduced me to Draco a little while ago. Draco, would you mind introducing me? I'm assuming they also go to our school and it is nice getting to meet some of my school mates before I start next week." He had to bite his lip as all three took on expressions of disgust. To give them credit, they all masked it fairly quickly. 

Draco managed to bite out the introductions. "Dustin Snape, this is Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley." With a gesture towards Harry he said, "This is Dustin Snape, Professor Snape's son." To Dustin he said, "Yes, they will also be starting sixth year with us," but he had to tack on in a snide tone, "but they are Gryffindors." 

Harry managed to calmly state, "Oh, you know what I already said about houses. I really don't care which house I get sorted into. The whole system seems a bit archaic to me." This, of course, got Hermione's attention.

"You don't like the idea of the separate houses?" she asked out of curiosity.

"No, not really. Like I told Draco earlier, I've been fairly isolated most of my life already." None of them realized how true that really was, but Harry continued on, "I don't particularly fancy the idea of being isolated from three-fourths of my new school from the moment I get sorted. We'll see what happens, I guess."

Hermione looked like she wanted to question him further and Ron and Draco were looking fairly disgusted with the whole concept, but just then Severus stalked over with Lucius by his side.

Severus took note of the four teens, wondering at what was actually going on. He was surprised to see no wands out. Both Draco and Weasley looked like they wanted to, of course, but they seemed to be restraining themselves. Granger didn't look comfortable in Malfoy's presence but she looked like she'd just discovered a new book she wanted to read. Harry just stood there calmly between his best friends and his arch enemy from the previous year with a slight look of mischief in his eyes.

"Hello, Father," he greeted. "Draco's just been introducing me to a couple of other year mates. I'm sure you must know them."

Severus raised an eyebrow as he looked at his son. What had the boy been up to in the last hour? And how had he managed to keep this unlikely situation under control? Certainly it was unprecedented for Weasley and Malfoy to be together for any length of time without wands drawn. Severus' lips quirked just a bit at his son as he commented, "Yes, they go to Hogwarts. I do know Granger and Weasley." He nodded at each of them in turn. 

Hermione and Ron nodded back. Mostly out of shock that their professor hadn't said something nasty to them. They both mumbled goodbyes and high tailed it away from the Snapes and Malfoys. 

"Father, are you ready to continue with our shopping now?" Harry asked. "I know I still have plenty of things that I'll need to get for school. Maybe the Malfoys would be able to join us? I'm sure Draco must need many of the same books and other supplies."

"Indeed," was all that Severus said in reply. He still was not sure what his son was up to, but he couldn't find where anything had gone wrong so far. 

Draco spoke up, "Yes Father, I would be happy to show Dustin around the other shops and help him pick out his supplies. I'm sure we have many of the same classes." Draco wasn't ready to give up his time with this new boy—despite the strangeness of the episode with the Mudblood and the weasel. He looked up at his father, pleading with his eyes. 

Lucius and Severus glanced at each other. It seemed they both realized that it would be difficult to deny their sons what they wanted. And if truth be known, they were not averse to spending the time in each other's company as they followed their sons through the Alley. 

They nodded at their sons, which caused both boys to grin first at their fathers and then each other. The boys knew that they had won this round. They started off once again and set out to get their shopping done.

Harry 'met' several more people that day, but considering the company he was keeping, most of them were Slytherins. One of the more interesting things was that he found he was truly enjoying Draco's company. When he wasn't being a stuck up prick, he was actually a nice guy. Harry was finding Draco's sarcastic wit hilarious. It was fun to listen to Draco's viewpoints on anyone and everything they encountered that day. 

It was also a bit of a shock to observe Lucius throughout the day. The man was a powerful opponent in Death Eater garb, but as a father, he didn't seem to actually be so bad. Harry's father didn't seem to mind Lucius' presence. Maybe there was more there than met the eye. That was something that Harry was going to have to spend more time thinking about and definitely something to keep under observation. 

It was a bit difficult to assimilate these new observations of the Malfoys. One thing was clear; Harry Potter had never been allowed to observe the real Malfoys before. 

As the day wound down, Harry was once again glad that he'd made the decision to put aside Harry Potter for the time being. It felt good to be Dustin Snape.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry was waiting a bit anxiously in the room behind the head table of the Great Hall. He'd decided to skip the train ride and had come directly to Hogwarts with his father instead. Now he was just waiting for the sorting ceremony. Technically, he didn't care which house he got sorted into, but he knew that there really was a lot that went into the houses of this school. It was going to take time to work through all that animosity, and he wasn't even sure it was possible. 

First things first, he'd have to get introduced to the school, and he knew that he'd likely be in Slytherin. Where else would he be sorted? He didn't plan on arguing with the hat this time, and with all the duplicity he was dealing with this year, there was really nowhere else for the Sorting Hat to put him. No, his real concern was how he was going to be able to get past all the preconceived notions to be able to interact with the rest of the school. He really didn't want to be stuck with just Slytherins for company. 

He'd spent a lot of time talking with his father and had been able to banish many of his own prejudiced ideas about the Slytherins. He'd like to be able to help dispel those ideas within the rest of the school as well. He knew that it may just be wishful thinking on his part that it could ever actually happen though. 

He started paying attention again as he realized the growing noise from the Great Hall had died down. It was time to get things started. Dumbledore had decided to introduce and sort him first, so he knew he'd be called soon. Sure enough, his father opened the connecting door and gestured him through. Severus squeezed his shoulder briefly before heading back to his seat at the head table. 

All eyes were on Harry as he walked around the table towards the stool sitting in the middle of the floor. He took the hat that Professor McGonagall handed him, sat down and placed it on his head. He ignored everyone and waited for the hat to speak to him.

_"It seems you are back, Mr. Potter. Can I assume that you have had enough of Gryffindor and are ready to be placed where you were meant to be all along?"_

Harry answered back in his head. _"I don't have a problem with Gryffindor, but I do recognize that it's probably necessary for me to be in Slytherin now. There is a lot at stake."_

_"Ah, I can see that you are using every bit of cunning you possess in order to protect your friends and family. You are sure to do very well in . . . "_

"Slytherin!" the hat shouted out to the entire Great Hall.

As Harry got down from the stool and set the hat down, the Slytherins all erupted into cheers. He strolled over to the table and sat down next to Draco. Aside from any personal interest he was developing, Draco was ironically still the one that he knew best in Slytherin house. Harry received many congratulations and a big grin from Draco. He was happy enough to be where he was. He looked up at the head table and gave his father a small smirk. His father smirked in return before returning to the sorting of the first years that was starting.

Harry was soon to get everyone's attention once again, however, when he decided to stir things up a bit. Previously, no house had ever clapped for any other house during the sorting. But these first years were new students to Hogwarts, not just to each house. Harry applauded each and every first year to be sorted. 

At first, everyone just looked at him like he was crazy. Especially the Slytherins when Harry clapped for the first Gryffindor to be sorted. Even the teachers were looking at him askance. Slytherins _did not_ cheer for Gryffindors, in their recollection. 

In the silence that followed his clapping for the small Gryffindor, Harry stood and stated to the crowd, "These first years are new to the school. They should all be welcomed to Hogwarts." It went unstated but heard by all— _no matter which house they are sorted into._ After that, the entire school got into the sorting in an entirely new way. The cheering and shouts were deafening as the whole school welcomed the new students. 

The Slytherins, in particular, weren't so sure about this, but they weren't about to go against their Head of House's son. Besides, many of them had been warned by Draco on the train that this new boy seemed to hold some different ideas. But Draco seemed to like him, and that was just one more endorsement for supporting this new boy. So, even the Slytherins ended up having a blast welcoming the first years. It almost became a new challenge as to who could cheer the loudest for each new student. 

Severus just gave his son a wry look. Even without the persona of Harry Potter, his son could manage to disrupt the natural order, rules and traditions of the school. He really shouldn't have been surprised.

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling like crazy as he watched Harry unite the entire student body. He knew Harry was capable of great things, but leave it to Harry to be devious enough to be able to unite even the Slytherins with the other three houses. It was sure to be an entertaining year ahead.

As the feast got underway, Harry was bombarded with questions. All of the Slytherins and the rest of the school as well, were trying to figure out this new boy. He'd barely been there an hour and he had already shaken up the entire school. The speculation was running rampant about him. From the moment he'd come from the other room and sat on the stool, most of the girls, and even some of the boys, had been appreciating this boy's looks. Sexy, dark and mysterious, he was adding new heat to the room. Then there was the shock when he was introduced as Snape's son before he was sorted into Slytherin. To top it off, he'd turned the traditional sorting ceremony on its head by cheering for everyone. Everyone wanted to know more about Dustin Snape.

Harry took it all in stride as he began loading his plate. No one knew it, aside from his father and Dumbledore, but he was used to this kind of attention in the Great Hall. This year however, and in this new guise, he was prepared to handle it. And handle it he did, as he fielded many questions while he ate. He explained the little information he'd already given Draco about how he'd come to live with his father. He was open and friendly with everyone. He asked many of his own questions about the school which he supposedly knew nothing about, except for what his father had told him. 

He looked around the Great Hall. He had to admit, it felt very odd to be observing things from this side of the school. He could see his friends laughing and talking and he missed being with them. But it also felt good to be making new friends. He was particularly enjoying how close Draco was to him. There was a whole new awareness there that he would have never anticipated when he left the school last year.

There was a bit of guilt that he was deceiving so many people, but he squashed it. He glanced at his father again. He knew that, no matter what happened, this was worth it. He was doing the best he could for all of the people in this room. In particular, it felt right that he had this fresh start with his father—his family.

Amongst the typical announcements at the end of the feast, was one that Harry found of particular interest. 

Dumbledore spoke. "You all know that Voldemort," pause for gasps, "has returned. The Ministry finally and officially declared this over the summer. Our world unfortunately is in a time of war. You also know that Harry Potter is a major enemy of Voldemort." At this, there was another pause for yet more gasps from the school—and sneers from the Slytherins. 

"With all of the attempts on Harry's life here at the school, it was deemed unsafe for him to continue his schooling here this year. He has been taken to another location, that will remain undisclosed to even his close friends for now, and he will continue his schooling and training in a safer place." This brought boos from much of the school, along with the expected cheers from the Slytherins. 

As Dumbledore continued with his beginning of year announcements, Draco leaned over. "Be thankful you don't have to deal with that idiot this year. With Dumbledore's Golden Boy out of the picture, this school really should be a better place," he said with a sneer.

Harry had been sitting back taking all this in. He looked at Draco contemplatively before finally stating, "You know, I've heard a lot about Harry Potter. I actually feel sorry for him. I sure wouldn't want the weight of the Wizarding world on my shoulders. He can't even go to school now with his friends. I know what it's like to have to leave my friends behind. I can't see how that would be easy for him."

Draco and the surrounding Slytherins looked startled. Snape's son was standing up for Harry Potter? It was one thing to stand up for first years; it was entirely different to stand up for Harry Potter. It was unheard of. In the shocked silence, though, a few students seemed to have a flicker of understanding cross their faces. 

Draco, however, was not ready to give up a five year rivalry. In his opinion, Dustin obviously needed to be filled in on a few more facts about Harry Potter. But looking at Dustin's serious expression, he decided to drop it for now. He really wanted to stay on Dustin's good side. He decided to go with a different approach.

"Well, I can say that you should have no trouble making new friends here at Hogwarts. I personally think you will be quite popular," Draco drawled as he ran his gaze across Harry's features.

Harry heard this and saw Draco's look and just grinned. Yeah, Harry was ready for at least one new friendship to progress.

Harry answered with a simple, "So are we ready to head for the dungeons?"

Draco rose from the bench. "Yes, most of us still need to get unpacked." He smirked at Harry. "I'm assuming you've already got settled in for the new year."

Harry rose from the bench to walk with Draco. "Yeah, I got settled into my new room while you were all still on the train. Whether it's a good thing or not I haven't decided yet, but I've got a room next to my father's. I'll show it to you later. For now, show me the Slytherin dorms and I'll help you get settled in."


	10. Chapter 10

Harry rose early the next morning. He wanted a chance to talk with his father since he didn't have the opportunity the night before. He slipped through their connecting door to find his father sitting with a cup of tea and reading through the Daily Prophet.

"Good Morning, Father," Harry said as he approached his father's sitting area and took a seat.

Severus looked at him as he laid the newspaper down on a small side table. "How are you doing this morning, Dustin?" he asked, with just the slightest emphasis on his name.

Harry gave him a sharp look before answering, "Yes, _Dustin_ is getting settled in as well as could be expected." He gave his father a smirk, "Maybe even better than expected."

"Indeed." Severus returned the smirk. "I noticed that you managed to rile up the entire student body last night. And you managed to do it without any hexes being thrown. That is quite an accomplishment." His tone became more serious as he asked, "But how are you doing? This can't be an easy adjustment."

Harry got up and went to sit in his father's lap to take a little comfort before starting out this first day of his new school life, not caring that he was too old for it. "I'm as good as can be expected, I suppose. It's just all so surreal. Before you rescued me this summer, and before I found mum's journal, I'd decided to make some major changes in my life. But I guess I still can't quite believe how much I've really changed." He snuggled a little closer to his father. "I should be glad, but I still feel a little disappointed that absolutely no one recognizes me. I don't miss much from my old life, but I do miss my friends."

Severus tightened his arms around Harry. "I know that you've been through much this summer and I barely recognize you as the same person." He pulled Harry back to look in his eyes. "As much as it pains me to think that I missed out on your entire childhood, I think you left last year a child, and you've come back this year as a man. You've certainly grown a lot over the summer, and I'm sure that many of your school mates have not had to."

"Thank you, Father. I think I needed to hear that today." Harry gave a smirk to lighten the mood. "Then again, I think I've still got some teenage rebellion left in me." He laughed as his father pushed him off his lap.

"You will keep that teenage rebellion in check or you will pay the price. Things may have changed drastically, but I am still your professor as well as your father."

"Yes, yes. I'll behave!" He grinned cheekily. "Are you ready to head up for breakfast?"

They made their way out of the dungeons and up to the Great Hall, where all eyes turned to watch father and son as they entered the room. Though everyone knew the professor had a son, it was still a shock to see him actually chatting amicably with a student. Even the professors were a bit shocked to see him as something other than the snarky bastard he usually was in everyone's presence. 

As they approached the Slytherin table, Harry whispered quietly, "You do know that your reputation as resident snarky bastard may be ruined, don't you?" 

Severus looked affronted at that statement. "Then they will be sadly disappointed, won't they?" he sneered.

Harry just laughed as he sat down at his table and his father continued on to the head table.

He glanced around and realized almost everyone was either looking at him or his father. He grinned inwardly. If it had been anyone else, he knew he would have had that same shocked look to see Professor Snape treating anyone in such a casual manner. 

Even the Slytherins, who knew the professor to be fair with them, had faint looks of awe on their faces. Harry quirked an eyebrow at them, which just got him more strange looks. He looked to Draco for an answer.

Draco answered Harry's unvoiced question. "With that expression on your face, you look even more like him. I don't think anyone has seen Professor Snape act quite so human in school before." He laughed. "I know I saw you both in Diagon Alley just a few days ago, but it's still a shock to see him behaving like a parent rather than a professor."

Harry grinned at him. "Well, I did tell you my father was really nice. I wouldn't advise trying to slack off in his classroom, though."

Draco grinned back. "No, somehow I don't think the rest of us would get the same treatment as you. I don't know if one person could change that drastically in just the last couple of months."

Harry just smiled to himself as he set about loading his breakfast plate. If only Draco knew how much someone could actually change. Professor Snape showing a friendly side was going to be nothing when people discovered who Dustin Snape really was.

Timetables were passed out, and he listened as Draco explained some more about all of their classes. It was going to be interesting taking classes as a Slytherin rather than a Gryffindor. Though as usual, the first class of the day was double potions with both Gryffindor and Slytherin.

They entered the hallway outside of the potion classroom to wait for the professor with the rest of the students. Harry smiled when he saw Ron and Hermione waiting with the other Gryffindors.

He walked over to them and smiled, hopefully coming off as friendly. "Hi again. Ron and Hermione, right?"

He wanted to roll his eyes as he watched every jaw in the hallway drop with the exception of Ron, Hermione and Draco. Will wonders never cease? First they saw their professor acting human, and now, now a Slytherin was being civil to two Gryffindors. And not just any Gryffindors, but Potter's sidekicks. 

The Slytherins all looked to Draco, who didn't look happy, but he just shrugged. He'd already gone over this with Dustin, but Dustin didn't seem to care that they were Gryffindors. Dustin had said he wanted to form his own opinions. 

Ron just glared, not sure what to think himself, but Hermione gave a slight smile. "Yes, good morning, Dustin. How do you like Hogwarts so far?" 

The other Gryffindors didn't lose their looks of shock when Hermione seemed to actually know him.

Harry answered, grinning inwardly at Hermione's typical show of Gryffindor bravery. "It's been good so far. Everyone seems to be real friendly around here. It wasn't always so nice at my old school. Too much school rivalry."

Both Gryffindors and Slytherins smirked at each other. Harry understood the looks but just continued on as if he hadn't seen them. "With this school being so much closer to the war with Voldemort," Harry paused for the usual gasps, "obviously everyone can't afford to waste so much time fighting each other."

He stopped there and let that sink in to everyone around him. He knew most of them wouldn't remember it for long, but he could tell it had a few people thinking. Many of the smirks had dropped from the faces surrounding him. 

Hermione looked thoughtfully at him. "The Sorting Hat was talking about unity within the school again."

The hallway was quiet as Harry watched his father sweep around the corner, robes billowing behind him. He smiled at his father and followed the others as they walked into the classroom.

Severus started his lesson, watching the students closely. What had Harry been doing out there in the hallway? Severus had never seen a hallway of Gryffindors and Slytherins so quiet and almost subdued. In fact, as the lesson progressed, he realized that although there was plenty of whispering going on within the pairings as usual, there weren't the typical barbs between the two sides of the classroom. 

Harry himself was quite pleased with the results. He didn't think it would last, but it was nice being in potions without everyone fighting for a change, although he could see Ron smouldering a bit as Hermione obviously tried to explain things to him. Harry could practically hear Ron going off about evil Slytherin gits, but Hermione had obviously registered what Harry had been trying to say.

Harry was actually dealing with one of those 'evil Slytherin gits'. Draco was smouldering as much as Ron, but he was hiding it better behind his cold mask. 

"Is there a problem, Draco?" Harry finally asked.

Draco looked at him. "Yes, there is. Your father did tell you about Hogwarts, didn't he?"

"Yes," Harry said. "And yes, I do know that traditionally Slytherins have never got along with Gryffindors. What I don't understand is, why not? It makes no sense." 

Harry knew he could be royally stepping in it with his next statement, since he wasn't sure where Draco's loyalties lay. But he also supposedly didn't already know that Draco had been labelled as Death Eater in training. "Isn't there a war going on? There's some psychotic nutter and his followers out there going around killing people for the hell of it. Shouldn't we all be against him, rather than each other?" 

Draco thought about what Dustin had said, but he felt he knew more about the real situation in the school. Did Dustin even realize that his father was one of those followers, one of the Death Eaters? Draco was fairly certain that Dustin didn't know. 

Draco had done his own growing up over the summer. He'd been so angry with Potter for getting his father thrown into Azkaban, but his father had managed to get released a couple of weeks before school started. Lucius had sat Draco down and they had a long discussion about many things. 

Draco had been shocked at first to realize that his father had been able to get out of prison, mainly by agreeing to spy for the Light. His father gave up a lot of valuable information regarding the Dark Lord and his followers, so the Ministry had arranged things to make it possible for Lucius to be released on some technicality. It seemed impossible, but some story had been concocted to sound fairly convincing. Voldemort did not know that Lucius had switched sides while he was in prison. Very few people knew it, but somehow Professor Dumbledore had been instrumental in making it all happen. 

Draco glanced at Dustin. Did Dustin know all of this?

Harry seemed to understand the question being directed at him. He glanced around to be sure no one was listening in before he answered. "Yes, I know how our fathers feel about the war. I also realize that no one else knows. Nor can they find out for the time being."

Draco should have been surprised, but found that he wasn't. It was obvious to the whole school that Dustin was close to his father. 

Harry asked the question he so desperately wanted the answer to. "So are you and I on the same side?"

Draco just nodded. This really wasn't the place to be discussing this and they both knew it. He gave Harry a small smile. "At least now I know I'm not the only one in this position."

Harry let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and returned the smile. It did feel good. He wasn't the only one with an ex-Death Eater spy for a father. "Yeah, we're together on this." They went back to work on their potion with a new sense of camaraderie.

~*~*~*~

"I can't believe we've got so much homework already." Draco sounded completely exasperated as they made their way down to the dungeons after their last class for the day. "We've only been in classes for two days!"

Harry's lips twisted into a grimace. "Yeah, I've got a lot to work on already. The professors here sure don't start the year out lightly, do they?"

"We could only wish," Draco said.

Harry gave Draco a sidelong glance. "We've got a couple hours still before dinner. Do you want to study in my room? It'll be quiet in there," he offered.

"Sure," Draco said easily. "Besides, I haven't had a chance to see your room yet."

Harry led them down a different corridor, passing the entrance to Snape's rooms that all the Slytherins knew and stopped at a portrait of two men playing chess. The men in the portrait eyed Draco, but refrained from speaking.

Harry grinned as he gave his password. "Chamber of Secrets.”

The two men both smirked at Harry as the portrait opened. Draco's eyebrows rose in amusement.

"Interesting password you've got there," he drawled as they entered Harry's room.

Harry winked at the portrait behind Draco's back as he ushered Draco in before him. "Yeah, I've heard the stories," he said as the portrait swung closed behind him. "Someone obviously thought it was amusing to give me that password, considering that I'm the heir of the Head of House for Slytherin."

Harry wasn't about to tell Draco that he was the one who had chosen the password. The irony of the choice had been irresistible to him. During second year most people had considered him to be Slytherin's heir, and now to find out that he was actually the heir to the Slytherin Head of House still boggled his mind whenever he thought about it.

Certainly his room was a Chamber of Secrets in its own way. Harry was keeping his entire identity a secret. As Suziana slithered out from the sleeve of his robes now that they were 'home', Harry thought that he was just thankful that Suziana wasn't a basilisk. 

Draco seemed to be thinking along the same lines when he turned and saw the small silver snake slithering up Harry's robes to encircle his neck.

Draco smirked at Harry. "At least your snake isn't a basilisk."

"No, thankfully Suziana is far more gorgeous than a huge ugly basilisk." Of course, Harry was one of a very few who knew that from experience. He dropped his bag and began undoing his robe.

Draco studied Harry and the silver snake for a few moments before commenting. "Yes, very gorgeous," he said. "She suits you well."

Harry had to wonder if he was misinterpreting Draco, but it seemed like Draco was referring to him as much as the snake now wrapped around his neck. "Thanks." He gave Draco a genuine smile as he slipped his robe off and tossed it over the back of the couch. "My father gave her to me this summer. He said she seemed to suit my wardrobe choices."

Draco grinned as he raked his eyes over Harry. "I'd have to say that I agree with him." Harry was wearing black crushed velvet pants that fit him like a second skin and a long sleeved silk shirt left untucked. Suziana was a stark contrast against the dark purple of the shirt. She matched well with the silver snake earring in Harry's ear, as well as the silver buckles on the knee high dragon hide boots. 

Harry tossed Draco a grin over his shoulder as he made his way over to a small side table and placed Suziana in her tank. Draco began looking around the actual room. 

"Wow, you actually match your room today.”

Harry chuckled. "It wasn't intentional on my part, but I do like the colour scheme."

"I like it," Draco said. "Although I must admit, I'm surprised not to see the typical Slytherin colours like the dorms. Your room is far more luxurious."

Harry glanced around his room in obvious pride. "It matches my room at home. Before this summer, I'd never had a room even remotely like this. My father figured out that I was disappointed to be leaving the room I'd had for such a short time and put this one together for me here as a surprise," he explained.

"Must be nice having one of the professors for a father," Draco said wryly.

"It has its advantages," Harry agreed. He sat down in front of the coffee table and leaned back against the couch and began digging out his things to start on his homework. Draco slid down next to him and started searching through his own bag.

"You don't have to sit on the floor. You're welcome to use the desk if you want. I can study just about anywhere," he said, thinking about all the times he'd had to study under his blankets by the light of his wand in the middle of the night at the Dursley's.

Draco shrugged. "This is fine. It's not like this plush carpet you've got in here is uncomfortable," he said, quirking his lips.

"It is quite comfortable, isn't it?"

They soon settled down to their studies and worked in the pleasant atmosphere of Harry's room.


	11. Chapter 11

Harry was lounging in one of the leather arm chairs of the Slytherin common room. It was amazing how the atmosphere seemed so different compared to the one time he had been in here in second year. Then, everything had seemed cold and dreary. But now, the fires were glowing brightly and there was plenty of chatter amongst the students. 

The last couple of days had gone smoothly, as everyone got back into the routine of classes. For Harry, it seemed almost ridiculously easy. He had thought it would be much more difficult to adjust to his new persona. Maybe he wouldn't miss being Harry Potter as much as he thought. It even looked like he might be able to be friends with Hermione and Ron again. Well, he wasn't so sure about Ron, but Hermione was looking like a possibility. She had always been more open minded and seemed to be willing to give him a chance. Harry certainly hoped so. 

He noticed that many of the students were eyeing him. He was sure many of them were still trying to size him up, but Pansy and Millicent were also whispering in a corner and glancing his way. _I wonder what exactly they are up to._ It seemed he didn't have long to wait.

Pansy spoke up. "I think it's time for a beginning of year get-to-know-you activity. I say we sit down to a game of 'I Never'. So, who's in?" That statement brought cheers from much of the common room. "Draco dear, don't you have some bottles of Firewhiskey you can donate to the game?" she said with a coy look at Draco. 

Draco glanced in Harry's direction. _Yes, this just might be interesting._ He set off with Blaise to his dorm to gather up some drinks.

Everyone else started to get together in a circle in the middle of the common room. Harry decided to play along. This might be a way to get in good with the Slytherins, especially those who still hadn't decided whether to trust him or not.

He slid from the chair onto the floor and leaned back against the chair, stretching his legs out in front of him. Draco and Blaise returned with drinks and the girls got everything arranged for the game to start. Draco glanced around the room before settling in next to Harry. 

Pansy settled herself on the other side of Harry and declared the game ready to begin. "I'll get us started. We'll start easy. I never kissed a girl." She promptly picked up her glass and downed it, showing that she herself had kissed a girl before. In fact, much of the circle downed their drink. 

Harry decided to ask the next obvious question, "I never kissed a boy," and then downed his drink. This brought many appraising looks from the room. Harry noticed that Draco eyed him as he took his own drink. 

Draco tried to decide what to go with next. "I have never shagged a boy." Then as he set his drink down without drinking, he watched closely as Harry calmly picked up his drink and drank it down. 

The sixth year Slytherins, in particular, were all sharing looks throughout the room. This new guy seemed to have an interesting history. 

Millicent was to ask the next question. "Well, to keep with the trend, I have never shagged a girl." She set her drink down without drinking it. Pansy set her drink on the floor as well, but almost every male drank deeply on that one. 

Harry sat there relaxed and poised, thinking about the actions so far. This is certainly getting things out in the open fast, he thought to himself with a small quirk of his lips. The interesting thing was that he now had much of the attention of many of the males in the room, as well as the females. He was pleased to note that the gorgeous blonde on his left was eyeing him with even more awareness. 

Harry had to admit that he'd always been so busy fighting with Draco over the years that he'd never truly looked at him. He'd looked at him in terms of sizing him up for a fight, but nothing beyond that. Watching Draco now, he realized that Draco physically had a lot going for him. That beautiful pale skin, the long lashes surrounding amazing silver eyes, his shiny blonde hair that flowed around his face. Not to mention the toned body from years of Quidditch. Harry wouldn't mind getting to know Draco a lot better in the near future. 

As his thoughts wandered, the game had been continuing. Everyone was getting pretty pissed by this time. Many of the faces around the room were flushed and people were a lot more relaxed and lounging against each other. Harry decided to see how much he could up the ante. On his next turn he started by saying, "I never got a tattoo." He took his drink, then sat up and stripped his shirt off. That alone got all eyes on him. Gasps could be heard as he stood up and turned around. 

Harry had been able to find a charm over the summer that made his tattoo move, much like wizard photos. Now the snakes endlessly slithered and twined around each other, constantly moving.

His tattoo suddenly had a new meaning as he looked down at Draco over his shoulder. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to be twined around the silver snake that was looking back at him with a touch of awe and lust. Draco's gaze flicked again to Harry's back and he unconsciously licked his lips as he took another look at that wonderfully smooth skin of Harry's. The leather trousers he was wearing rode low on his hips, yet the entwined snakes dipped a bit lower. Harry watched as Draco flicked his eyes to Harry's for a brief moment, and then slowly reached up to pull the back of the trousers that little bit lower to be able to see the complete tattoo. 

Every pair of eyes was locked on the action between the two. Everyone knew that Draco was the leader of the Slytherins. Everyone also knew that whatever Draco wanted, Draco got. Harry was the new guy in the group, but it was becoming increasingly clear that, even aside from being their Head of House's son, he was a force to be reckoned with. Anyone who could bring their Slytherin Prince to his knees like that had to be someone important. 

In the back of his mind, Harry recognized that he was gaining the respect, if not the trust, of the house. His focus at that moment though, was narrowing down to the blonde directly behind him. Harry slowly turned and looked down at Draco, who was still kneeling on the floor where he had moved to get a closer look at Harry's tattoo. Harry lowered himself to his knees in front of Draco, his eyes still locked on those beautiful silver eyes in front of him. Without ever saying a word, they both leaned forward until their lips met. It was just a casual brush of lips at first. Eyes still locked, with questions and answers flowing between them, not asked aloud. Both wanted to know if this was okay with the other, and they both answered yes.

Harry brought his hands up to Draco's waist and Draco brought his hands up to Harry's shoulders and as they leaned towards each other once again, their eyes drifted shut. Harry met Draco's lips and ran his tongue along Draco's lower lip, asking permission for entrance. Draco quickly parted his lips, sending his own tongue out in a quest for exploration. They became lost in the discovery of each other's mouths for long minutes.

Eventually, the others in the room lost their sense of shock and wonder and the paralysis was lifted. Catcalls and wolf whistles could be heard throughout the room all of a sudden. Harry and Draco drew back as they realized that they were the centre of attention. Neither blushed, though. The interaction between them felt too right to be ashamed. Harry looked Draco in the eyes before he spoke. 

"Will you be the silver snake to my black snake?" Harry asked Draco the question without consciously thinking about it. Once the question left his lips, he realized it sounded extremely quirky, but he didn’t take it back. 

Draco didn't seem to think it odd either as he quickly nodded his head. 

Both teens remembered the picture of Harry's tattoo, the black and silver snakes intertwined together. Somehow it just all felt right.


	12. Chapter 12

"Good morning, Father," Harry said as he walked into Severus' sitting room the next morning. 

Severus lifted an eyebrow. "Good morning. I admit that I did not expect to see you so early," he said as he watched Harry gingerly take a seat on the couch.

"Why? Because you know the Slytherins had a little party in the common room last night? Or should I say, the party that you supposedly knew nothing about." Harry quirked a small, slightly pained, lopsided smile. 

Severus’s lips twitched, but he simply gestured to the side table beside the couch. 

Harry's eyes widened in surprise before he snatched up the vial and drank down the contents. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah, much better."

Severus finally released a low chuckle. "Were you that desperate for a hangover potion this morning?"

Harry sent him a weak glare. "Actually, I thought I was doing pretty good, considering. I didn't dare drink too much because I didn't want to accidentally give away my real identity. Although I did drink more than a glass or two of scotch last night," he admitted.

Severus gazed at Harry with a touch of curiosity as well as concern. "How well are you actually getting along with the Slytherins? You appear to be making friends and doing well so far."

Harry stared down at the floor for a few moments, and fought the temptation to bite his lip nervously. It was a habit of Harry Potter's that he'd been working hard to break, since it would be another clue as to who he really was. He looked up at Severus through his fringe.

"Draco is my boyfriend now," Harry said, the words blunt despite his voice being barely above a whisper. He wasn't entirely sure how his father was going to take this news. Becoming friends with Draco had been in the plans. Becoming _more_ than friends had not been a part of any plans.

Simply put, Harry wanted Draco. The boy was sexy as sin and Harry was enjoying being around him. There was just the 'small detail' of Draco not knowing that Dustin Snape was really Harry Potter.

"You cannot possibly be serious," Severus sneered at Harry. 

Harry winced slightly. "I am serious. We kissed last night and we're together now."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose as he attempted to process this news. "Harry, this is not some type of revenge on your part, is it?"

Harry shook his head vehemently. "Oh no! That's not it at all!" Harry hastened to explain. "I know that would make sense with the way things have always gone between me and Draco, but I've pretty much left the rivalries in the past. You know that."

Severus nodded once. "Yes. However, it seemed prudent to ask. You do have quite a history with Draco. I have been under the impression that you've been doing well becoming friends with him this last week. It was not my understanding that you would allow it to go further than that."

Harry lowered his gaze to the floor again and sighed heavily. "I like him, Father. I never expected to truly like him, but it feels so right when I'm with him. I know it sounds odd."

"You do realize that he will likely want to kill you when he finds out?" Severus asked evenly.

Ironically, Harry seemed to regain a bit of his confidence from that reminder. "I know that. Now the question is—how exactly would that be different from how he normally feels about me?" he asked dryly.

Severus snorted in amusement. Harry grinned at his father. 

"I really do like him. I never would have had a chance to get to know him as Harry Potter. This is probably the only opportunity I'll ever have with him and I'm going to take it. I know it's selfish of me and I don't particularly like deceiving him this way, but I want to be with him anyway.”

Severus studied Harry contemplatively for several long moments. "I agree that this behaviour seems a bit selfish on your part, and that fact alone tells me exactly how much you want to pursue a relationship with him."

Harry looked at him blankly. "I don't understand."

"When have you ever behaved selfishly?" Severus asked.

Harry furrowed his brow in thought and finally shrugged. "I don't know."

"Exactly," Severus said. "I think you deserve to be a bit selfish for once in your life. If this is something you truly want, then pursue it. But you need to be aware of the consequences. I am concerned that you will simply be hurt by this."

Harry smiled warmly at the concern showed by his father. It felt wonderful having someone wanting to watch over him and protect him. 

"I know that when Draco finds out, things could easily revert back to the way they've always been between the two of us. But maybe I can prove to him that I'm not who he thought I was. I've changed. For that matter, he's changed. I'm willing to take the risk," Harry said earnestly.

Severus shook his head in wry amusement. "You are nothing if not an optimist, Harry."

~*~*~*~

Later in the morning, the students were gathering in the Great Hall for breakfast. Many watched as Harry strolled in side by side with Draco, as had become custom over the last few days. It seemed that the Prince of Slytherin had a new equal.

Gasps were heard and whispers started as Harry gave Draco a kiss before separating and walking towards the head table. 

Harry quirked an eyebrow and smirked at his father as he approached. He wanted to speak with Dumbledore but decided to approach his father first. Severus scowled at him.

"Was there a need for that show this morning?" Severus sneered. Only Harry was close enough to see the amusement shining in his eyes. 

Harry shrugged innocently. "I need to arrange a meeting with Dumbledore."

Still scowling, Severus said simply, "We'll talk later."

Harry couldn't let go of the smirk on his face. "Of course, Father." He continued down the table to Professor Dumbledore. "I was wondering if I might be able to talk with you after breakfast, sir. If you have a few minutes."

Dumbledore just twinkled down at him. "Certainly, my boy. The password is jelly twigs. I'll meet you at 9:00."

"Thank you, sir. I'll be there," Harry said before spinning on his heel, robes swirling around him, and heading over to the Slytherin table. He smirked once again as he realized that all eyes were still on him. That move had to have reinforced that he was truly Snape's son.

He sat down next to Draco and gave him a quick kiss. "Did you miss me?" he said cheekily.

Draco just gave him a wry look. "Yes, it's been so long since I've seen you." He looked pleased with the kiss, regardless. "So what were you doing anyway?"

"I was just asking him if I could meet with him. He said we could meet this morning." He glanced at Draco. "And before you ask, I'm not telling you why yet. I have something I want to ask him and I don't want to jinx myself before I get a chance to talk to him."

Draco glared at him. "And you think by telling me what's going on that you will be jinxed."

Harry just grinned. "No, I just want to keep you in suspense a little longer. You're adorable when you're frustrated."

Draco just continued to glare. Harry couldn't resist. He leaned over to whisper in Draco's ear. "I'll meet you after I'm done. It's just not something I want to discuss in front of everyone before I find out if what I want to do can actually happen." As he spoke, he gently nipped at Draco's ear.

Draco gave a small shiver as he felt Harry's breath on his ear, It was difficult to stay frustrated after that. He knew he was being played, but allowed it. 

Harry smiled gently. He leaned back in. "Thank you." 

Draco just smiled wryly and went back to his breakfast.

~*~*~*~

Harry sat down across from Dumbledore and refused the usual tea and sweets.

"How are you doing so far, my boy?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm doing quite well, sir. Things are going even better than I expected. No one has a clue as to my true identity and I'm fitting in with the Slytherins easily enough.”

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "It seems that you managed to get all the houses to work together a bit at the sorting feast as well."

"Yes, it was actually a lot of fun." Harry grinned.

"So what brings you here today? Is there a problem?" 

"No, I'm here because I need you to sanction the DA and I need this cover to explain to Ron and Hermione how I even know anything about the DA from last year," Harry explained.

"You think it is necessary to have the DA again? You do realize that Professor Lupin is back this year, so I don't think that you actually need to run the group again.”

"Ah, but you see I do," Harry said. "We only had one good year of instruction when Remus was here before. Remus isn't going to be able to catch everyone up all at once. Father caught me up with my defence training this summer, but most students weren't that lucky."

"And you feel it is necessary, or even wise, for you to teach them?"

Harry gave him a cold glare. "Yes, I think it is very necessary to prepare the students. They need to be able to protect themselves, and someone needs to be able to teach them how to actually do that. And why shouldn't I be the one to teach them? I'm the one who has to face Voldemort and I could really use their help if it comes down to it."

Dumbledore looked at him. "That's what the Order and the Aurors are for, Harry. Students should not be a part of the war."

Harry was beginning to seethe with anger, but managed to keep his cool. This was necessary for his plans. "And what happens when the Order and the Aurors aren't around? What about when students happen to be around me if I stumble upon a bunch of Death Eaters out for my blood? I can defend myself, but should I just watch the students be killed while we wait for Order members to show up?"

He gave Dumbledore a hard stare. "I can't do this alone. We both know that I have been placed in dangerous situations, always with other students involved. It's not enough just to train the Golden Boy. This _Golden Boy_ needs to be able to have some back up that can protect and defend themselves. I never know when or where something might happen and I never know who will be around me when it does. But I can say that so far there's never been an Order member or an Auror present when the shit hit the fan. Every single time though, there have been other students. I can't protect everyone, but I can damn well do my best to make sure that they can protect themselves."

"What do you wish to be able to teach the students that they won't learn in class?" Dumbledore asked slowly.

Harry just waved him off. "I've got my plans already laid out for the lessons. I've been working on them since the start of summer."

"But surely Professor Lupin will be teaching the students how to defend themselves.”

Harry scoffed at that. "I love Remus dearly, and he's an awesome teacher, but as I said before, there's only so much he can do. And unfortunately, he is required to follow your requirements as to what should be taught and what shouldn't."

He glared at Dumbledore again. "And I don't intend to be limited by your restrictions as to what should be taught and what shouldn't. Whether you want the students to have their childhoods or not, there is still a war going on that they need to be prepared for."

"Harry, I cannot allow you to have free reign over teaching a group of students.”

"Yes, you can and you will," Harry said coldly. "You will, because you need me. I'm your only weapon against Voldemort and you know it. You've been leading me the way you want for the last sixteen years. You've been giving me just enough information to get things done the way you want, but that's it. Otherwise, I'm always left in the dark. Well, no more. This _boy_ grew up this summer. I've got a job to do. I have to defeat Voldemort. Well, _I_ am going to do what's necessary for me to get that job done. _You_ are not going to stop me from doing what I need to do."

Dumbledore stared at Harry. "You _have_ grown up, haven't you, my boy."

"Yes, _old man_ , I have," Harry said wryly.

That actually put the twinkle back in Dumbledore's eyes. Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes, I think it is time that you call me Albus, Harry. It seems to me that you have earned the right to call me by my first name."

Harry looked at him in surprise. "Albus?"

"Yes, I have underestimated you once again. It would seem that you were far more ready for the news of the prophecy than I realized. In fact, I think it may be time to induct you into the Order as well. You would make a fine liaison between the Order and the students."

Harry sat there in shock for a moment. He had come into the office determined to get what he wanted, and had got far more than he had planned. Finally he said, "Thank you, Albus."

Dumbledore smiled. "You're welcome, Harry."

~*~*~*~

"I need to talk with Ron and Hermione." Harry said. He knew Draco would likely explode over that statement.

Sure enough, Draco did. "What?! What the fuck brought this on? You do remember that I'm not particularly fond of any Gryffindors, and especially those two. They're Potter's cronies."

Harry stayed calm. He had expected this reaction from Draco. And if truth be told, things weren't going to get any better any time soon. He decided to try to head Draco off in a Slytherin way.

"Slytherins value information, right?" Harry asked.

Draco eyed him warily. "Yes, but what's that got to do with Weasel and the Mudblood?"

The name calling made Harry cringe inwardly, but he decided to ignore the names for now. “I’ve been talking over some ideas with Dumbledore and he said that Ron and Hermione would be the ones who have the information I need."

Draco snorted. "Yeah, right. What kind of information could they have?" He gave Harry a sidelong glance. "And why would you need that information?"

Harry took a deep breath and started explaining his ideas about the Defence Association that he wanted to get started. Draco still didn't seem too happy by the end of the explanation. In fact, although he was quiet and let Harry have his say, he was obviously seething.

"You want to continue a club that _Potter_ started? And you want me to help you, along with two _Gryffindors_?" he spat the questions at Harry.

"Yes," Harry answered. "I don't care who originally started the DA. It's a good idea, it's useful, and the groundwork has already been laid for it. Which brings me to why I want Ron and Hermione. They helped lay down that groundwork, which means they'll be useful. In particular, for reaching the students of the other houses."

"So you want to use them to promote your own agenda," Draco said slowly. He gave Harry a contemplative look. "That actually is quite Slytherin of you, you know?"

Harry snorted at him. "I never said I was put into the wrong house. I just said everyone shouldn't be separated so totally." 

He wasn't about to tell Draco that he also wanted his best friends back, however he was able to get them. Working with them with the DA might be the best he could get and he'd take it. The thought crossed his mind that this underhanded way of spending time with his old friends was quite the Slytherin way of doing things as well. 

Draco seemed to be thinking about what Harry said and since he'd calmed considerably, Harry continued speaking. 

"I want to get all of the houses involved. Everyone could use some extra defence. If using Gryffindors helps me gain the trust of the other houses, then that's what I'll do." 

Harry debated as to what else he wanted to tell Draco. He thought about all the people who had already died in this war. He reached out and took Draco's hands in his. "Look Draco, this is really important to me. My mother died protecting me, hoping that I would live." He left off that so had James, Cedric and Sirius, but he was thinking about them. 

His voice was a bit choked as he continued. "I don't want to see _anyone_ else die. I don't give a fuck if they are a Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or a Gryffindor. _No one_ deserves to die. Especially at the hands of some lunatic, psychotic madman or his followers."

He swallowed before continuing. "If this means that I have to take Potter's place to help train people to be able to defend themselves, then so be it. Because if that's what I can do to help ensure that people don't die needlessly, then that's what I'll do."

Draco looked as if he was already understanding what Harry was saying, but he just gazed into Harry's eyes, giving silent permission for Harry to get it all off his chest. It was obvious, even to Draco at this point, that this was very important to Harry.

"To be honest," Harry went on to say, "I really want you by my side on this. Partly because you're so important to me." He gave Draco a small smile. Draco gave him a soft smile in return.

"But also . . . Draco, I know you could be a tremendous help. You're smart and you're good. I think you have a lot to offer others. With your knowledge and your background, I think you could help save a lot of lives.” 

Harry wasn't too sure how Draco would feel about him saying that. Harry felt it was a great compliment, but he'd also learned that Draco kept a lot to himself. It had become clear this year that he'd barely known Draco at all during their previous years at school. Admittedly, a lot had changed over the summer, but that didn't mean Draco was suddenly going to be willing to open up and share what he knew with the rest of the school.

"If you don't want to help out, I will understand.”

Draco just snorted disbelievingly at that.

"No, I really do understand. Aside from all this house rivalry stuff and your history here at school, one thing I've learned about you, is that you are a fairly private person. All that Malfoy training I guess." Harry smirked, but continued seriously. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable, and if this idea honestly doesn't work for you, then I don't want you to do it."

Draco looked at Harry with a touch of awe on his face. "You would let me just walk away from this whole idea of yours if I said that's what I wanted? Even though it's obviously so important to you?"

Harry looked at him a bit confused. "Well, of course I would. You're already special to me, Draco. I don't want to put you in a position you don't want to be in. As long as you don't try to force me to give up my plan, then no, I'm not going to be mad at you."

Draco leaned in to give Harry a kiss, then moved back to look directly into Harry's eyes again. "Dustin, thank you." He saw the bewildered look on Harry's face and answered, "For placing my feelings first. All my life I've had to live up to other's expectations. The plans, whatever they may have been, have always come first. No one's ever bothered asking for my permission before."

A look of understanding crossed Harry's face. "Yes, I understand that," he said simply.

"Can I have some time to think about this grand plan of yours?"

"Of course," Harry answered. Then, "So if this discussion is done for now, can we finally get down to some serious snogging?"

Draco just wrapped his arms around Harry and settled in as they begin to kiss.

~*~*~*~

As Ron and Hermione were leaving the Great Hall after dinner, Harry caught up to them.

"Would the two of you have a few minutes to talk? I'd like to be able to ask you about something."

Hermione looked cautious yet curious, but Ron glared at him and barely managed to bite out the word, "Why?" without raising his wand. 

Harry refrained from rolling his eyes, knowing that Ron saw him as one of 'those evil Slytherins'. He surely would have been suspicious himself not that long ago. 

"I approached Professor Dumbledore and he suggested that I talk with you two," Harry stated.

Hermione immediately lost her air of suspicion. Ron continued to glare, but gestured to the front entrance so that they could go outside to talk. 

Once they had settled down on a grassy area near the lake, Hermione asked, "Why did Professor Dumbledore send you to us?"

Harry launched into his explanation about how he wanted to revive the DA and he wanted their help to do it.

Ron spluttered, "You, a Slytherin, want _our_ help?"

Hermione seemed to have other things on her mind though. "Why do you want to put back together the DA that Harry started? He's not even around."

Harry rolled his eyes at both of them, but answered Ron first. "Yes, I'm a Slytherin—who cares. Yes, I think you would be a valuable asset to the group. You've done it before and you know your way around." He focused on Hermione. "I want to put the DA back together, and improve it, because I don't like the idea of students, any students, being unable to defend themselves. I'm not particularly fond of the idea of people dying." He rolled his eyes again. "Go figure on that one."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "Go on.” 

Harry looked at her. “What does it matter that Harry Potter isn't around right now? Isn't he still the Hero of the Wizarding World that's supposed to save everyone? I thought he was your friend and I honestly thought that the two of you would want to be able to do all that you could to help him, even if he wasn't immediately available to you. At least that's what I thought from everything I've heard about the Gryffindor Trio."

Hermione and Ron both managed to look abashed at this, but Ron spoke up. "Yeah, we know how we feel about things, and you're not wrong. We do want to be able to help Harry, but how exactly are we supposed to do that when we don't even know where he is? And what do you care anyway?" Ron was scowling at him now.

"I care because I happen to like the Wizarding world. It's been good to me overall. Damned if I want Voldemort running the place." Harry watched as Ron winced at the name. "If Harry Potter is the one who can supposedly rid us of the madman so we can live in peace, then by all means, I'm on Potter's side and I'll back him any way I can."

Hermione was looking thoughtful. "So is that why you want to get the DA going?"

"Yes," Harry said. "I don't know what Potter's up to, but he started this little DA group so he obviously thought there was some merit to it."

Hermione looked a bit sheepish, but she didn't say anything. Harry knew what she was thinking. It had originally been her idea. Harry knew that and he also knew that he needed her help again to get this moving. 

"Look, I think Potter had a good thing going. It makes sense to help people to be able to defend themselves. And honestly, I don't care how good people think Harry Potter is, I think he could use some help fighting Voldemort and his minions. Isn't it a bit much to expect him to take them all on by himself?"

Ron had been bristling in the background. "We're here for Harry. I just don't see why you're pretending to be so concerned."

"I'm not pretending. I happen to value life and don't see why _anyone_ deserves to die. And for some odd reason," Harry smirked, "I think we could use more people to help. Unless you plan to take on all the Death Eaters yourselves to protect your friend."

Ron seemed to back down. No, he really didn't want to take on all the Death Eaters himself. Last year at the Ministry had been bad enough. Ron shared a glance with Hermione.

Hermione answered for both of them, "Okay, we're in. What do you want us to do?"

Harry started laying out his ideas, asking for input from both of them. They discussed how things had gone the previous year as well as plans for the year ahead of them. It didn't go down particularly well when Ron discovered that Draco was going to be directly involved, but Harry explained that he could be a valuable asset and they needed to pull from all the resources they had. Harry was surprised at first when Hermione actually backed him on this. Then again, this was Hermione and information was information, no matter where it came from. 

Slowly Harry's plans were coming together and he seemed to have the important people he needed working with him.


	13. Chapter 13

By the time the first meeting was set to begin, Draco was standing by Harry's side, showing his support. Ironically, considering that no one knew who Harry really was, Harry also had Ron and Hermione on his other side, showing their support. Neither party seemed particularly pleased with the other, but Harry didn't really mind. They were behaving better than he could have ever anticipated. 

He had to wonder if he was better at persuasive speeches than he realized. Hopefully he was, since that would mean this meeting might go the way that he hoped. With the exception of those who had already left school, all the members of the previous year's DA group were present, plus a selection of other students who had been gathered beforehand—including a few of the Slytherins.

Harry thought about it and realized that his life had really gone for a loop lately, but he was perfectly happy where he was—between his boyfriend and his best friends. He knew one of these days he was going to have to tell them, but he pushed that aside for now. He already had one war on his hands, he really didn't need another.

He stepped forward, gaining everyone's attention. "Everyone figures Harry Potter is supposed to be the Hero of the Wizarding World." Harry glanced around the room to see most people nodding their heads. "Okay, well, he isn't here right now. Supposedly he's off safe in some god-forsaken place training. How likely is it that he can actually defeat Voldemort on his own, though? What about all the Death Eaters? What happens if they decide to attack Hogwarts?

"I, for one, really don't want to just sit here doing absolutely nothing. I realize that many of you have different opinions about Harry Potter. Some of you like him and some don't. I haven't seen him, but as the outsider coming in, I have my own opinions.

"Harry Potter may or may not be able to defeat Voldemort." Harry paused as usual. "But tell me this—why should he have to do it alone? I sure as hell wouldn't want the weight of the Wizarding world on my shoulders. Don't you think that's an awful lot of responsibility to place on one person?

"I asked you all here because, as I said, I don't like the idea of being unable to defend myself. My father told me about the club that was going on last year. My father taught me a lot this past summer, and I learned a lot where I came from. If anyone is interested, I have permission to make this DA, Defence Association, official this year. Open membership to whoever wants to attend.

"I realize that many of you probably don't trust me because I'm one of the evil Slytherin gits." Harry grinned as this brought about a lot of snickering throughout the room. "That's okay, though. At this point, I really don't expect you to trust me." This brought about a lot of blank stares. "What I mean is that I'm willing to prove that I'm trustworthy.

"Let me put it to you bluntly. I really don't give a fuck about the house system here at Hogwarts." Well, Harry thought to himself, being blunt sure got everyone's attention. "I'm not saying that there's anything particularly wrong with having the different houses. I even think friendly competition is good. But from everything I've seen, you people have taken it far beyond that.

"Take each of your main house characteristics—loyalty, intelligence, bravery and cunning. Personally, I think all of those will be needed in this war. I have only been here a few days, and already I'm sick of hearing people say one house is better than the other. And yes, that includes my own house. In fact, after listening to my father most of the summer, I think I was already sick of hearing about how great Slytherin was before I ever got here." He grinned again and more chuckles were heard throughout the room. 

"Seriously, I just think there should be a limit to house rivalry. We're in the middle of a major war. Why are we wasting our time fighting each other when we've got much bigger battles possibly facing us?

"Now, I realize that the biggest rivalry in the school is between Gryffindor and Slytherin. There are those that wouldn't trust a Slytherin to run this group and those that wouldn't trust a Gryffindor. As a show of good faith, I've asked Draco to help me as well as allied myself with Ron and Hermione from Gryffindor. They helped Harry Potter run the group last year, and to me that shows they can help run things this year.

"They want to be able to help their friend and to be able to protect themselves, as well as their friends and family if need be. The question you have to answer is whether or not you want to be able to as well."

He glanced around the room again. He was pleased to see a lot of thoughtful faces. "Please, think about what I've said, sleep on it, talk it over with your friends, or whatever you want to do. Invite whomever you want to join us—literally everyone is welcome. Just be aware that this won't be a typical class like we're used to. If we're here, it will be because we want to be here—because we're all wanting to win and to be able to live in peace." And with that, he finally stated, "Hopefully I'll see you all back here tomorrow at 3:00. Thanks for taking the time to listen."

~*~*~*~

That night at dinner, you could see the word being spread throughout the hall. When Draco and Harry first stepped into the room, there was a moment of quiet before the chatter broke out even louder than it had been before. Many eyes followed Harry as he made his way to the Slytherin table.

For his part, Harry gave an honest smile as he glanced around the hall at the other students. He needed them to trust him. He needed to change everyone's perceptions of those evil Slytherins. He knew that, generally speaking, most of the time all that could be seen coming from the Slytherins were scowls and glares. He was doing his best to project an air of friendliness and openness. 

What was interesting for those at the other tables was Draco's attitude. Many noticed the nod of acknowledgement that Draco sent to Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. It wasn't exactly friendly but it was far from hostile. There was even more amazement when Hermione and Ron nodded in return. 

Harry knew that with the way Draco was raised, he could be a powerful politician. Certainly, Lucius had been working for years with the Ministry and had given Draco plenty of training in that area. Harry was sure that with Draco as an ally, he would have a much easier time gaining the trust of the other students.

Which was ironic, he reflected. Harry knew Draco's history in the school. The only ones who trusted Draco were the Slytherins. But for Draco to be actively changing his attitude throughout the school, it would be much easier for Harry to be able to integrate the Slytherins with the other houses. 

Harry noticed that many of the Slytherins were surreptitiously watching Draco as well. Draco had long been their leader. Many would follow his lead almost automatically. Some of the others seemed to be thinking that Draco had completely lost it. 

Word was being spread throughout the Slytherin table as well about the DA meeting that had occurred earlier. Glancing around, Harry thought it might just be time for a meeting in the Slytherin common room this evening.

~*~*~*~

Not long after Harry and Draco settled in on the couch in front of the fire in the common room, people started to gather around them. When it seemed that everyone was there, one of the seventh years finally asked the question on most of their minds.

"What's going on?"

Harry and Draco glanced at each other and Harry gave a slight nod to Draco. He would let Draco, the Slytherin Prince, start off this meeting.

"We're putting together a Defence Association. We want to be able to train to defend ourselves.”

"Why would you want to do that?" Theodore Nott asked.

Draco gave him a withering glare after rolling his eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, we happen to be at war," he said sarcastically. "I intend to be able to defend myself and I also intend to help train anyone else I can to be able to help defend me."

Harry wanted to laugh at that statement, but he bit it back. It was such a selfish sentiment, but he knew that it would help get through to these students. Slytherins were all for self-preservation. And, as odd as the idea was to Harry, the idea that Draco was doing this to help protect his own back would help clarify Draco's reasoning to the other Slytherins.

"But Draco," Millicent whinged, "why do you want to get involved with Gryffindors?" She actually shuddered and Harry noticed that many others in the room also had slight shivers at the idea.

Draco glanced at Harry before responding. Everyone noticed the exchanged look and realized once again how much influence this new guy seemed to have. Harry, as Dustin, seemed to have a lot of sway over their Slytherin Prince. 

Draco looked back to the group. "Look, I'm not fond of Gryffindors either." Draco actually gave his own slight shudder. "But I'm not against the idea of using them to help protect my own arse. We all know that this war is escalating. I happen to value my own life and will do whatever I have to, to save myself."

"Your father will protect you, though," Pansy said.

Draco glanced around the room and gave a pointed look to some of the other Death Eater children. "I'm not so sure that I can rely on my father. I know that he will do his best, but he has other loyalties that could come into conflict.”

He exchanged another glance with Harry. "Some of us have certain conflicts of interest with our families. I've decided that I want to be able to make my own decisions. And one of the decisions that I've made recently is that I don't want to bow down to anyone. Especially to someone who is a total madman. I'm _not_ going to be a Death Eater," he added vehemently.

There were several reactions to that. Some gasped in surprise that Draco was calling Voldemort a madman. Others were sneering because Draco couldn't be right about that. Voldemort was supposed to be about giving them power. He wasn't some crazy nutcase.

Harry finally spoke up. "I've got something I'd like to show all of you. Our house is hated and feared because supposedly we're all evil dark wizards. They call us all Death Eaters-in-training."

He held up a hand to stop the protests, and even some of the proud looks that the statement garnered. "How many of you have actually seen Voldemort? How many of you really know what it is like to be a Death Eater? I'm going to actually show you right now."

He took out the Pensieve from the box beside him and set it on the table in front of him. He glanced around the room. "This isn't going to be pretty," he warned before stirring up the Pensieve and starting the scene that he wanted to show everyone.

Harry had talked with his father. One of the problems as he saw it was that the Slytherins really didn't understand what they would be getting into. He'd finally hit upon the idea of actually showing them. It had taken some persuasion on his part, but he'd finally talked his father into allowing him to share one of his father's memories from one of the Death Eater meetings. 

The memory was carefully selected. Harry wanted to show some of the horror, and to show what Voldemort was really like, but he still had to make sure that it didn't leak important information in regards to the war. 

Draco had dimmed the lights and, as the image started to play, it seemed to Harry that it was like a movie at the cinema. Of course, this was far worse than a horror movie, considering that this was real. 

There was still enough light that allowed Harry to watch the people around him. He'd already seen the memory a few times and besides, he was used to seeing these meetings in his visions. Then again, he'd actually met the madman himself a few times as well. So Harry watched the others. If it hadn't been so serious, it would have been funny to the ex-Gryffindor as he watched all the Slytherins slowly turn green as they watched the Death Eater meeting unfold.

They all watched as Voldemort appeared at the meeting, his red snake eyes glaring malevolently at his ranks of Death Eaters. They watched as each of the Death Eaters came forward in turn to kneel before Voldemort and kiss the hem of his robes. 

Everyone listened as Voldemort went on one of his rants, complaining about Harry Potter in particular. It happened to be a meeting where one of the new recruits was stupid enough to ask why they were after Harry Potter. After calmly casting _Crucio_ , Voldemort watched in satisfaction as the man screamed. They listened as Voldemort finally let up on the torture and told all of his Death Eaters that he was never to be questioned or they would pay the price. 

The Slytherins listened and watched as the meeting went on. Reports were given by various Death Eaters about different raids that they had been on. One of the important things to note was that not only was an unknown Muggle family mentioned, there was also the report of the pureblood wizard family that had been tortured and killed. 

There was enough detail given that some of the people actually fled the room to throw up, and most everyone was looking decidedly ill by this time. This was not what being a Death Eater was supposed to be about. Purebloods weren't supposed to die. The Death Eaters themselves weren't supposed to be tortured so mercilessly. Voldemort himself wasn't supposed to look and sound so crazy. 

More of the Death Eaters were tortured for minor infractions that no one seemed to understand except Voldemort. And despite the masks and robes that were worn, many of the students recognized Lucius Malfoy. They watched as Voldemort cast _Crucio_ on him just because he had not been able to locate Harry Potter through his Ministry contacts as hoped. 

Eventually the memory in the Pensieve ended and Harry returned the lighting to normal. There was complete silence, aside from the sounds of Harry putting the Pensieve away back in the box. It had been a Pensieve that he and his father had specifically put together that only had that one memory, so there would be no risk of other memories being discovered. 

Harry sat back and pulled Draco against him, trying to soothe him with touch. Draco was looking deathly white after watching his father being tortured. Knowing it happened was completely different from actually seeing it. Many around the room were holding each other, trying to offer some support after what they had seen. The fear and tension in the room was palpable. 

After a couple of minutes, Harry finally spoke up. "From what I understand, what you just watched is a fairly typical Death Eater meeting. Of course, you heard the descriptions of what they are sent out to do. I don't see this as something that I want to be a part of. He's a raving lunatic that doesn't seem to have any real purpose."

"He was supposed to be making things better," someone whispered.

Harry sighed. "Yes, many people have joined Voldemort with the idea that things would be better for them, whether that be improvements for purebloods, more power or more prestige. I don't see how anyone is receiving any of that. Voldemort is really out to make himself immortal and he wants to rule the world." 

Harry had a determined set to his face as he declared, "That's _not_ a world that I want to live in. I'll be damned if I want to live in constant fear. You saw for yourselves. Voldemort is ruling the Death Eaters with fear and torture. We hear about how he tortures and kills Muggles, but I don't think many people realize how horribly he treats his own followers. The Death Eaters certainly aren't going to say anything, out of fear of angering their master."

It was time to try to put a little hope back into the room. "I've already made my decision and I want no part in any of that. _That_ is why I'm setting up the DA. The more people that can defend against that madman, the better. I think Dumbledore means well overall, especially in the war against Voldemort, but I don't know how he's helping us students defend ourselves. I have enough self preservation that I want to do more than just sit back and hope that Dumbledore will save us all from Voldemort's clutches."

"Dumbledore never does anything to help us Slytherins," Blaise said bitterly.

Many were nodding around the room. Harry knew that the Slytherins, for the most part, didn't trust Dumbledore. And really, they had some pretty good reasons not to. 

"I don't think that's completely true, but I know where you're coming from," Harry said. "That's why I think there's another alternative."

Blaise looked hopeful, as did much of the room. "What's the alternative? If we choose not to go to Voldemort, doesn't that mean that we have to go with Dumbledore?"

Despite everything that they had seen and heard tonight, Harry knew his next statement was not likely to have a positive reaction.

"I'm on Harry Potter's side," Harry said with confidence.

"What?!" Exclamations were heard throughout the room. Harry Potter was not exactly an alternative that they had been hoping for.

Harry just smirked at them all. 

There was another small whisper in the room. "Harry Potter has been going up against You Know Who for years already." There was a touch of awe in the voice.

Harry gave a small, wry smile. "Yes. I don't know how the foolish Gryffindor has survived, but he's been going against the madman since he was a year old." 

Then he smirked again. "I sure as fuck don't want to be on Voldemort's side. And I'm honestly not sure that I trust Dumbledore. Harry Potter, though, has been up against Voldemort—and survived. I think he's actually fought against Voldemort even more than Dumbledore has."

Draco looked thoughtful. "Potter does seem to persevere, doesn't he? I mean, war aside, he's always managed to come through, despite all the shit we've thrown at him over the years. No matter what happens to the prat, he ends up coming out on top of things in the end."

The other Slytherins thought about that. Pansy spoke up. "But who says that Potter will be on our side? We've always done our best to make his life miserable. He's not going to want to help protect us."

Harry addressed that the best he could under the circumstances. "Somehow, I don't think he'll care who you are as long as you're on his side. If I understand right, he's been against Slytherins because Slytherins have been against him. It's obvious to me that Potter wants to win this damn war. However, I don't see how he can do it by himself. He does seem to be rather reckless jumping into these battles.”

Those in the room laughed and sneered at that. Harry continued, "Which is where I think we as Slytherins can help. There needs to be more planning to defeat Voldemort. Everyone seems to believe that Potter will be the one to do that, even Voldemort himself seems to believe it, otherwise why would he be after Potter in the first place? I'm putting together this DA group because I think all the students need to be able to defend themselves, we need strategy, and I think we could help Potter actually win. I'm not satisfied with just leaving things up to Potter's luck. I do think that with some help, Potter can actually do it."

Harry looked around at the Slytherins who tended to value power above a lot of things. "I think Voldemort fears Harry Potter for a reason. He is a powerful wizard and that concerns Voldemort. Considering that Potter has been defeating Voldemort since he was a child, I believe Potter has a real chance now that he's older and is developing his powers.”

He paused for a moment to let that sink in. "He also seems to be trustworthy. I've heard plenty of complaints about him, but everyone seems to believe that he's loyal. Even all of you here in Slytherin. You may not like him much, but no one seems to have any doubts that he'll do whatever he can to defeat Voldemort."

Harry was gratified to actually see many of the Slytherins slowly nodding their heads in agreement. "In fact, more than anything else, the main complaints against him seem to be because he's Dumbledore's Golden Boy and gets all the special treatment." He looked thoughtful. "Hmm, I wonder if Harry Potter doesn't actually deserve to be cut some slack. Somehow, if I was expected to rid the world of evil, being out after curfew wouldn't seem to have that much significance."

Hopefully he had actually got through to his fellow Slytherins. He'd certainly given them all a lot of food for thought that evening. He could only hope that they would choose to not to follow Voldemort.

"It's your choice. It's not your parent's choice to make, nor is it Voldemort's or Dumbledore's, who've both put pressure on us to choose one of their sides. Personally, I'm making the choice to stand behind Harry Potter. I think he's got the best chance of defeating Voldemort and leaving us with a Wizarding world where we don't have to live our lives in fear. I've tried to give you more information to base your decision on. Now it's your choice to make the decision for yourselves."

~*~*~*~

"How do you do that?" Draco demanded once they were alone again in Harry's room.

"Do what?" Harry asked, confused.

Draco made a grand sweeping gesture with his hand as he paced in front of the fire. "All that. I knew pretty much what you were going to do. I mean, I knew about the Pensieve, and I've been listening to you talk about all these plans, but I still can't believe you got that kind of reaction."

He stopped in front of Harry. "Somehow, I think you've probably just convinced all of Slytherin House to follow Harry Potter. Of all people!"

"You knew that's what I was setting out to do, Draco," Harry said calmly.

Draco went back to pacing. "Yes, but I didn't expect them _all_ to listen. For fuck's sake, half of us have grown up knowing that we would become Death Eaters. But in just one evening, you've turned all that around and have them believing they should be following Harry Potter instead."

He continued his ranting. "And the damn thing is, I believe you're right. Fuck! I've been fighting Potter for the last five years. This is all just so surreal. How can we all be fighting on Potter's side?" He looked a little bewildered.

Harry took pity on him. "Draco, come here." He reached over and pulled Draco down onto the couch with him. 

"Does it really matter that it's Harry Potter? I don't think it does. He's just a person like me or you that happens to be against Voldemort." He paused as he thought about what to say. 

"I think it has to do with growing up. It's not really about childhood rivalries anymore.”

Harry held Draco a little tighter. It was definitely not about rivalry for him anymore. He was beginning to think he was falling in love with Draco, but he had certainly never anticipated that happening. He'd fought with Draco the last five years, but it just didn't matter anymore. He'd grown up because unfortunately he had a war to fight. It had been time to give up his childhood rivalries and he was so glad that he had.

"I think Potter's not here at Hogwarts partly because he just doesn't have time to deal with that type of stuff anymore. He has a war to fight and everyone expects him to win it. Somehow, I doubt that trying to land you in detention is on the same scale as dealing with Voldemort," he said wryly.

Draco actually chuckled a bit. "No, I suppose you're right about that."

They both became lost in their thoughts for a bit. 

"Draco?"

"Hmmm."

"Why do you actually hate Potter?" Harry asked.

Draco thought about it. "Well, for one, the git turned down my friendship when I offered it on the train first year. I've always hated him for that."

"Why would he turn you down?" He knew the answer of course, but wanted to know what Draco would say.

"It was Weasley's fault," Draco sneered. "I think Weasley had been telling him a bunch of shit about me."

"Ah, so is that why you hate Ron so much?" Harry asked.

"Yes, partly anyway. The Malfoys have always had a feud with the Weasleys, but he pissed me off when he turned Potter away from me. I had hoped to get in good with him and Weasley ruined that," Draco explained.

"So you didn't say anything that would make Potter not want to be friends with you?" Harry asked carefully.

"Well, I might have come on a little strong," Draco said a bit sheepishly.

Harry laughed and kissed Draco lightly on the cheek. "Now that I can picture. So why else do you hate Potter?"

"I'm tired of Potter always winning everything," Draco whinged. "He always beats me at Quidditch. He won in this duelling club we had second year, just because he spoke Parseltongue. Why should Potter have a skill like that? Slytherin won the House Cup first year and Potter and his cronies stole that away from us at the leaving feast. He's always getting special treatment from Dumbledore. Potter gets away with stuff that other students would be expelled for. Hell, all the teachers but Snape give him special treatment. Somehow he even managed to get into the Triwizard tournament when he wasn't old enough to enter. He got special treatment being the fourth person in a three person tournament." 

Harry stopped Draco's ranting for a minute. "Um Draco, my father told me that tournament was how Voldemort got to Potter so he could have Potter help him bring back his body."

"Well yeah, but still Potter won. He always wins everything. Even against the Dark Lord he ends up winning. He came back alive from that when Diggory didn't. And how could either of them actually survive that? Voldemort doesn't just let people walk away from him. But somehow Potter does."

"Draco, isn't that precisely why we should help him?" Harry asked. "Potter does set out to win, even against Voldemort. You just said it yourself. You don't really have to like Potter; it's just a matter of supporting him against Voldemort."

Draco stopped and stared at him. "I wouldn't have to actually like him, would I? But the git could certainly use some Slytherin help. He's too much of a foolish, reckless Gryffindor and he's bound to get himself killed if he keeps going about things the way he has been. He could use some cunning and deviousness if he's going to actually win." Draco got lost in his own thoughts.

Harry had to grin inwardly. If only Draco realized how cunning and devious Harry Potter actually was.


	14. Chapter 14

Harry and Draco headed back to the Room of Requirement the next afternoon. Harry was pleased when he walked into the room. It was much larger than it had been the day before, and he hoped that meant the room realized there would be a lot of people attending this meeting, though it was probably just a reflection of his own optimism. There was a raised platform at one end of the room with a large desk off to the side of the platform. Harry headed directly to it, laid down his bag and got out his lessons that he'd been preparing over the summer. 

Draco had wandered over to inspect a large duelling area that was opposite the door. While the platform would be good for speeches and for teaching, the duelling area was perfect for demonstrations.

On the opposite end of the room from the platform were bins of all kinds of useful materials, including cushions and such for practicing spells. Draco was impressed. He wandered back to the platform where Harry was. The back wall of the platform was lined with bookshelves and he inspected the shelves next, trailing a finger along the spines as he read through the titles. He turned back to where Harry was sitting at the desk reading through his plans. 

"You've made this into your own defence classroom, haven't you?" he said, surprise in his tone.

Harry quirked an eyebrow at Draco, then glanced around the room briefly. "I had to tell the room basically what I needed and this is what it gave me," he replied. "I think it will work nicely. Now let's just hope people decide to show up."

Draco sauntered over and pushed Harry's chair away from the desk so that he could straddle Harry's lap. Draco smirked at him.

"Somehow, I think you will have a fine reception, _Professor Snape_ ," Draco drawled.

Harry choked and spluttered. "I am _not_ Professor Snape." 

"You might as well be. You're essentially taking on the role of a professor." Draco made a sweeping gesture of the room and then pointedly picked up Harry's lesson plans. "Look at the classroom you created, and you've even got your own lesson plans, for Merlin's sake!" 

Harry's eyes took on a mischievous twinkle, and he gave Draco a sly grin as he slid his hands under Draco's robes and grabbed his hips to pull him even closer. "If you want to play this game, does that mean I get to punish you if you misbehave?" Harry practically purred the question in that dark, silky tone that wasn't truly that different from his father's.

Draco groaned as he squirmed in Harry's lap, trying to get even closer. "I think I like this Professor Snape better," he gasped out his response. Both had already become half hard when Draco first sat on Harry's lap. Now they were both very hard and they strained to make contact with each other. Harry shifted in the chair so that he could arch his hips up into Draco's, even as Draco wrapped his hands in Harry's hair and held his head still so that he could claim his lips. 

Draco slid his tongue into the wet cavern of Harry's mouth and set out to explore its depths. Harry moaned low in his throat and met Draco's tongue with his own. He slid his tongue across Draco's and savoured his taste and the feeling of warmth and pleasure it brought. 

Harry realized that he would have never guessed that his old rival had such a unique and wonderful flavour before the events of the last week. Harry shoved Draco's tongue back into his mouth with his own so that he could explore in more detail. Draco was delicious and had clearly been eating sweets recently. As Harry explored, he savoured the caramel and honey flavour and that sweetness that made it uniquely Draco. 

_Who would have ever guessed that Malfoys had their own flavour?_

Harry knew that he wasn't quite rational in his thinking at this particular moment. He was drowning in the sensations. Draco's kiss tasted divine. His hands were now twined in Harry's hair, not allowing Harry to pull away even if he had wanted. They were pressed against each other with no room between them. 

Harry could only spare a brief regret that there were far too many layers of clothes between them. It was only a moment because, despite the layers, he could feel the hot, hard length of Draco pressing against his own pulsing erection. No clothes would be better, but this still felt damn good as they rubbed against each other trying to generate more of the friction that was engulfing them both in such pleasurable sensations. 

Harry tugged Draco's shirt out of the waistband of his trousers and slid his hands up the smooth, soft skin of Draco's sides until he could slide his hands around the hard muscles of Draco's chest. As his fingers found and moved across Draco's nipples, Draco pulled away from Harry's mouth so that he could gasp for much needed air. The sensations were incredible and Harry was enjoying the feel of Draco's skin under his wandering hands. He lowered his head to kiss and tease the length of Draco's neck even as his hands gently teased his sensitive nipples.

Draco arched into Harry even more, with his head flung back to make things easier for Harry to worship his neck, and pressed his hips harder into Harry's.

"Oh gods, this feels so good, Dustin," Draco moaned. He felt lost to sensation and was sure that was about all the coherency he had left. "I can't . . . oh, please," Draco begged.

The pleading and the sounds Draco was making, along with the pressure against his own erection, was about to send Harry over the edge as well. Harry licked his way up Draco's neck to gently suck on the lobe of Draco's ear. "Come for me, Draco," he whispered in that new seductive voice he'd just discovered that he had.

Draco groaned and did exactly as he was asked, arching his hips into Harry's and taking Harry over the edge with him. It felt so incredible to be able to release. Harry dropped his head to the back of the chair and Draco dropped his forehead onto Harry's shoulder. They were both panting and trying to catch their breath.

Harry waved his hand and muttered a couple of quick cleaning spells. "That was bloody fantastic," he whispered, not really wanting to break the spell they seemed to be under.

"Yeah," Draco said, still panting slightly. "But next time we should try this without so many clothes."

"Agreed.” Suddenly, Harry's wicked smile from earlier was back. "You can consider the necessity of clothes as your punishment this time."

Draco leaned back to stare at Harry for a moment, remembering how this had all started. Then he smirked, "Yes, _Professor Snape_."

Harry gave a slight shudder. "I'm not sure I like being called Professor Snape by you. There's just something inherently _wrong_ with the idea of associating what we just did with my _father_."

Draco gave his own shudder at Harry's words. "You might have a point there." He thought about it. "How about I'll just call you Professor then," he leered.

Harry just shook his head and gave a rueful grin.

Draco glanced around the room. "You know, it's a good thing you wanted to come here extra early today."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, I had planned on using the time to go over my plans again, but this was a much more enjoyable way to spend it." He gave Draco another quick hug before pushing at him to get him to move off his lap. "It's a good thing I'm mostly prepared, but I probably should look over my notes again real quick."

Draco slid off Harry's lap. "Fine, then. I know you're more than prepared, though."

Harry just went back to his notes, and Draco wandered back to the bookshelves while he waited.

It was only a few minutes later when Hermione and Ron walked into the room, and they were followed by several of the Gryffindors. Over the next fifteen minutes, students from all of the houses trickled in. The interesting thing was that, as far as Harry could tell, almost all of the Slytherins were there, while just portions of the other houses were present. 

Hermione came over to the desk to talk to Harry while Ron and many of the others wandered over to check out the duelling platform. 

"Dustin, this room is incredible!" Hermione gushed. 

Harry grinned. "Yeah, I think it will do."

"Do?! You've made a classroom that's far better equipped than the actual Defence classroom!" she exclaimed. "This is way better than what we had for the DA last year. And I thought it was good then."

"Well, we're going to be covering a lot in here this year," Harry said, glancing around the room again. 

Draco had come up behind Harry while he was talking with Hermione and he slipped his arms around Harry's neck before leaning down to whisper seductively in his ear, "You're even covering sex in this room."

Harry swatted at Draco's hands but he grinned. "There will be selective teaching in this room covering a lot of topics.”

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, glancing suspiciously between the two boys in front of her. Draco was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, but Harry had taken on an obviously false innocent smile. 

"Everyone is going to learn certain spells, but we're also going to split up into different teams. Each team will have certain specialties that they will work on." Harry explained what he actually intended for the group, but he was having trouble maintaining the innocent look, especially when Draco started snickering behind him.

"I definitely want to be on your team, Dustin," Draco drawled.

Harry finally started laughing. "Shut up, Draco! Why don't you go read a book or something?"

Draco smiled lasciviously but did wander back to the shelves as Harry had suggested.

Hermione was really looking at them both suspiciously now. "Somehow I don't think I want to know.”

Harry smiled ruefully. "No, I don't think you do. But seriously, what I said was true. We're going to work on some things as a whole group and then part of our time will be spent working on teams. We'll talk more about it soon. In the meantime, you're welcome to look over some of my plans." He got up and gestured to his chair. "Have a seat."

Hermione was more than willing to see what Harry had planned. She moved to sit down, but then remembered something. "Oh, Dustin, wait.” She dug in her book bag and pulled out a box. 

"Here's the box of coins." She looked around at the rapidly filling room. "I thought you were being overly optimistic when you asked for so many, but now I'm beginning to wonder if I actually made enough."

Harry took the box from her and pocketed the single coin she handed him. "No, this is perfect. Thanks. If we don't have enough, we'll just make more later."

She nodded, and then promptly buried her nose in the parchments covering the desk. Harry just shook his head at her and wandered over to the centre of the platform. He was pleased with how many people were there. It was going to be a lot different from the year before when there had only been about 25 of them. He watched the people in the room for a bit, but it was almost time to get started. 

Finally he got everyone's attention and waited for the room to quiet down. "Hi, everyone. I'm glad you all could make it," he said with a warm smile. "This is where we're going to be learning real defence this year. From what I understand, I think you'll all be getting a lot more out of your Defence Against the Dark Arts classes this year, but considering the lack of decent instructors the last few years, and the fact that there's a war going on, I feel there's still plenty that we can learn on our own."

He went on to explain many of the things that he planned to teach them and he explained how he wanted to create small teams as time wore on. He also described how the galleons worked to let them know when there would be a meeting. "Does anyone have any questions before we really get started?" 

"How come there are so many Slytherins in here?" Zacharias Smith said contemptuously.

Harry levelled a glare at him. "Because, like you, they are students in this school who want to be able to defend themselves."

He sent a glare at all of the students that could have rivalled one of his father's best death glares, and many shrank back in surprise and a touch of fear. Harry's tone became low and deadly. "I think I need to make something clear right now. _All_ students are welcome here. In fact, at this point I'm declaring that inside this room there is no such thing as different houses. We're not here to defend house rivalries. We're here to learn how to defend ourselves in this war. If anyone has a problem with this, you can leave now."

Nobody moved. The room was silent as they all stared at Harry. Harry continued in that same cold, hard, deadly tone. "We are all on the same side of this war."

Smith was brave enough, or stupid enough, to speak up again. "Yeah, but how do we know we can trust you, let alone all the other Slytherins?" Harry wasn't the only one to glare at him.

"Because everyone in this room, including me, will be working our arses off this year earning each other's trust," Harry said. His face became open again as he looked upon everyone in the room. "Let me tell you all something. Right now, I trust every single person in this room."

"How can you trust everyone?" one of the Slytherins scoffed.

"I trust that everyone who has decided to stay is ready to learn. Do I trust that everyone here is willing to watch each other's backs? Not yet, but I fully intend that we will all learn to trust each other to do just that. We're not going to just learn spell work. We're going to learn to work together as a unified team," Harry explained.

"You are all here willingly for a reason. And that's to learn. Anyone that wants to fight each other instead of defending themselves against the Death Eaters can just leave.”

Once again no one moved. "This is why I can trust everyone here. Everyone here is making the choice and I respect that. And whether you believe it or not yet, every single person in this room, and in this school for that matter, can trust me. I'm not starting up the DA to fight with any of you. I'm doing this to train you. If Death Eaters showed up at this school right now, I would fight to defend each and every one of you," he declared with confidence and determination.

Susan Bones spoke up tentatively, "Um, Dustin, er, how do we know that you have knowledge that you can teach us? I mean, you're just a student, too."

Harry grinned. "Now that's a practical question." He glanced to the back of the room. "Father, are you ready for a duel?"

Heads whipped around. Professor Snape had slipped into the room a few minutes before without anyone noticing. He nodded once in acknowledgement and made his way to the duelling platform.

Harry grinned back at everyone. "I've arranged for a little demonstration duel this afternoon. Whether I win or lose, I think you will be able to see that I have some skills that I'll be able to teach all of you this year."

Everyone broke out in chatter as Harry made his way up to the duelling stage. They'd never seen a duel between a teacher and a student before. Many had never seen any kind of Wizarding duel. But for the teacher to be Professor Snape? Everyone was excited to watch.

Harry had already arranged this with his father. It was to be a 'clean' wizard's duel, following the proper rules, and no Dark Arts spells. Other than that, anything could happen.

Harry got into position and shot his father a wicked grin, who simply returned with a smirk. This was going to be fun. They bowed and then began. 

They had agreed to start out with some of the simpler spells because Harry was going to be teaching first years and up, and everyone was going to be at different skill levels. Harry and Snape cast a wide variety of spells before working their way up in difficulty.

They were both easily dodging or blocking. Neither was getting injured in any way but, as they increased the difficulty of the spells, they both began to sweat. They seemed to lose their awareness of the others in the room as they became more focused on the duel between them. Spells began flying fast and hard in rapid succession.

The crowd watched the duel in amazement. They hadn't really expected Harry to be able to hold his own against one of their professors, but that was exactly what was happening. They watched as Harry cast a _Reductor_ curse that blasted Snape backwards several feet, shield and all. The power behind the curse was incredible. Eventually, Snape caught Harry off guard and sent a fire spell that caught the edge of Harry's robes. Harry went to put the flames out, but then Snape was finally able to cast _Expelliarmus_ to get Harry's wand. He quickly put out the flames on Harry's robes. 

They bowed to each other once again. It had been fifteen minutes of hard duelling and both were panting from the exertion. Harry smiled ruefully. "I've really got to find a better way to defend against fire," he said to his father. 

Snape just smirked at him. "If that will be all." Harry nodded his thanks and Snape swept off the duelling stage and out of the room. Harry turned back to the students in the room. The sound of the door shutting behind their professor seemed to finally wake them from their stunned silence.

Cheering broke out throughout the room.

Draco hopped up onto the stage besides Harry and wrapped him into a tight hug. "That was incredible!"

"But I lost!" Harry laughed.

"Who cares?!" Ron exclaimed. He was close enough to have heard Harry. "That was a wicked duel! Anyone who can take on Professor Snape like that is okay in my book. Even if you are his son." 

Harry laughed again as many of the others shouted out their agreement. "You're right, actually. I would've rather have won this duel, but my objective was actually to show you that I have plenty that I can teach you this year."

He looked over the other students. "So, do you think you can trust me to teach you in the DA?" 

A resounding cheer went up amongst the students. 

Harry sought Hermione out in the crowd. "Hey, Hermione, do you think you could research a better defence against that fire spell? My father hasn't been very forthcoming since he seems to successfully beat me with it so much lately," he admitted ruefully.

Hermione grinned. "I'll see what I can come up with."

"Thanks," he said, giving her a genuine smile. Then he looked back at the crowd. "So, who's ready to actually work?"

After Harry got the room quieted down again, he got to work. They were going to start with some review spells, older students pairing up with younger ones at first. 

Harry looked around at all the students who were now practicing. He was excited about the group and was pleased because he was pretty sure everyone was ready to really start learning. It was going to be a lot of work, but he was confident that this was going to be a success.


	15. Chapter 15

Harry followed his father into the room where the Order meeting was to take place. He knew that most of the Order wasn't going to want him there, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from finally getting some firsthand information. He stood next to his father, off to the side, and watched as the rest of the members slowly trickled into the room and took their seats. Many looked at Harry with suspicion or outward hostility, but no one dared to say anything to him. Not yet anyway, especially with him standing there next to his father. Snape was glaring at anyone who dared to look their way.

Harry grinned inwardly. It was nice actually having Snape's death glare defending him instead of being directed at him for a change. He whispered that to his father.

Snape ended up turning the glare onto Harry for that statement. Harry gave him a cheeky grin. "Luckily for me, the death glare doesn't exactly work the same way on me anymore."

Snape paused, then smirked at Harry before returning his glare back to the others in the room.

Harry gave a small laugh and whispered his thanks to his father. Snape just gave Harry's shoulder a quick squeeze, but otherwise kept his gaze trained on the others in the room. 

Finally, it appeared that everyone had arrived and Dumbledore called the meeting to order. He didn't get much of a chance to say anything though, before questions and accusations started flying about Harry being in the room. Dumbledore held up a hand to quiet them.

"This is Dustin Snape, Severus' son." People gaped in shock. Now that they paid attention, they could see the obvious resemblance, but it was still far from what they had expected. 

"You actually have a son?" Tonks asked in astonishment.

Snape sneered at her. "Yes, I have a son. Is that really so impossible?"

Several people around the room actually nodded their heads automatically. Yes, it was pretty impossible in their opinions. Harry snickered. Snape rolled his eyes and explained the brief history they had made up. 

"So you have a son," Moody said. He then asked the question most important to him, "Why is he here?" 

Dumbledore spoke up again. "Dustin will be a liaison between the Order and the students of the school."

At this, the room broke out in chaos once again. Dumbledore, Severus and Harry simply watched as everyone argued about why Harry shouldn't be allowed there and why they didn't need a liaison with the students.

After a couple of minutes, Harry took on his best impression of Snape and sneered at the room. "I'm here because whether you like it or not, us 'mere students' happen to be attending the school that Voldemort likes to attack. And whether you like it or not, we are involved in this war."

"But a student should not be privileged with this kind of information," Moody said with a glare.

Harry glared at him in return. "I'm not about to share the information with all of the students," he said pointedly. "The idea is that with me running the DA, I can better help the students if I have an idea of what is actually going on. If Harry Potter had known what was going on last year, likely the events at the Department of Mysteries wouldn't have happened. With inside information, hopefully I can help prevent those types of mistakes happening again with the students."

"But why you?" Moody growled.

"Why not me?" Harry asked. "Harry Potter would have been the better choice, obviously, but he's not here. Someone needs to look out for the students of this school and, since I'm running the DA this year in Potter's absence, I seem the likely choice."

Remus spoke up. "Dustin, the Order is looking out for the students, especially the professors, which does include your father," he added pointedly.

Harry looked at him. "Yes, but how much do the students actually tell you about what is going on with them? As a student, I can actually find out more about what is happening. If I know what is going on with the war with Voldemort, then I can do a better job of trying to help the students. And vice versa, if I can find out more about the students and bring that information back, then you can do more to help protect them. I will be a true liaison between the Order and the students."

"But you are too young to be involved with this," Molly said, obviously distressed at this idea. 

Harry looked at her kindly. "I appreciate your concern, but I haven't been young for a long time, ma'am. My mother was killed by Death Eaters. It's not something I've taken lightly."

Harry looked around at the rest of the room. "I realize that all of you want to protect us and keep us away from the war as much as possible. I don't think that's very practical, though. Unfortunately, Voldemort and his Death Eaters don't give a damn whether we are students or not. If they come across any of us, they will attack regardless. The students should be prepared for that."

"But surely the children aren't really at that great of a risk here in the school," Molly said plaintively.

"Do you really believe that?" Harry asked. "Agreed, some students are at much less of a risk than others. However, your own children are at more of a risk just because they are friends with Harry Potter. Hasn't your son been involved with many of Potter's adventures?" he said. "I understand your daughter was also involved in one of Voldemort's plots her first year here at the school. How can you say that the students are not at risk, even here at Hogwarts?" 

Molly stared at him. "But Dumbledore is here..." she trailed off, not really sure what to say. The boy was right. Dumbledore had also been here when Ginny was taken into the Chamber of Secrets. And both Ginny and Ron had gone off with Harry just last spring to fight Voldemort.

Harry looked at her with understanding. "I think you are beginning to understand. Dumbledore is here at the school—which does drastically slow Voldemort down. Unfortunately, it doesn't stop him. The students need to be prepared," he repeated.

He looked at the others in the room. "It's not just Potter's friends who are at risk, either. All of the students are at risk when it comes to Voldemort. The Slytherins are particularly vulnerable with the pressure many of them receive from their parents. Someone needs to be able to help them and I think that I can do that."

"How do we know that we can trust you, boy?" Moody growled. "You are a Slytherin yourself, with a Death Eater for a father."

Harry stared at him incredulously. "Are you saying you don't even trust my father?" He turned to look at his father, who shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"Bloody hell!" 

"Dustin," Dumbledore warned.

Harry just stared at him for a moment, before he shook his head to clear it and looked down at the floor. He was practically talking to himself with his next words, trying to sort things out. "My father is a Death Eater spy. He spies on Voldemort and brings back whatever information he can to help the Light side. He risks his own life every time he goes to one of those damn meetings. Often he comes back beaten and bloody, shaking from the after effects from the Cruciatus curse. And this is the thanks he gets? He's not even trusted by his own side?" 

He looked back up to the others in the room. "Does anyone here see the irony in the fact that, so far at least, Voldemort trusts my father, but you people don't? You people who are actually on the same side. This is just unbelievable."

Harry shook his head again before his eyes filled with determination. He gave them his father's death glare. "This would be why you need me as a liaison in this school. Everyone in Hogwarts should be on the same side. It's not about Gryffindors versus Slytherins anymore! It's about us against Voldemort. It's about uniting together, trusting your allies, and fighting for the same cause. It's not going to do our cause any good if we're all fighting against each other." 

He took a calming breath before speaking again. "I know why my father does what he does, but I'm not sure the rest of you do. You would really rather fight with each other than fight against Voldemort?" he asked with a sense of disbelief still in his tone. 

"What do you really know about fighting a war, boy?" Moody glared.

"Obviously more than you do when it comes to people," Harry retorted. "I know I'm fighting on the right side of the war, but at the moment I'm downright ashamed of most of the adults I'm fighting with. Petty rivalries aren't going to get us very far. I've got a more important war to fight. One that I intend to win," he said with conviction.

Harry rested his hands on the edge of the table in front of Moody and leaned in to glare at him. "You mark my words. Right now this school is split apart, with Gryffindor versus Slytherin and plenty of rivalry, but I will unite this school. Before I'm done, every student in this school will be working together and they will be working on the right side. Not only that, every student will be able to help protect themselves rather than just lying down waiting for the adults to hopefully get over their own rivalries long enough to unite and protect them."

He stood back. "You decide whether you want me at these meetings or not. You make the decision as to whether to join or to split the forces of the Light side. When you've made a decision, you be sure and let me know. In the meantime, I have a school to unite." He turned on his heel and left the room, robes billowing all the way out the door.

Snape watched with pride as Harry left the room, then sneered at all those who were staring gobsmacked at the doorway that Harry had just walked through. He exchanged a glance with Dumbledore and realized that Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling like mad. Obviously he had enjoyed the show as well.

Tonks spoke up tentatively as she looked at Snape. "I guess that answers my question."

Snape raised an eyebrow in question.

"Dustin is obviously your son," she said. Then she suddenly scrunched up her nose until her hair turned green with silver stripes. "Just a little show of unity," she explained, grinning.

This finally broke the tension in the room, as everyone laughed. Even Moody's lips quirked a bit. 

Many were shocked once again to see Snape actually give a small but genuine smile. "I'm sure my son will appreciate your show of solidarity.”

~*~*~*~

Severus swept into his sitting room to find Harry already there sipping a glass of scotch, with the bottle and another glass laid out on the table, waiting for his father.

"Have you calmed down now?" Severus asked as he sat down and poured his own drink.

Harry glared at him. "I thought I kept myself fairly under control, actually," he retorted.

Severus nodded in acknowledgement. "I suppose you did. I myself have not always been quite so . . . kind with my words to them."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, I've heard you go off plenty of times. I really didn't say anything that bad. At least, I don't think that I did."

Severus appraised Harry for a moment, as he took another sip of his scotch. "Harry, your words may not have been kind, precisely, but you had enough force and conviction behind them, along with your relatively calm demeanour, that I think it may have actually got through to some of the dunderheads in that room tonight."

Harry looked at him in surprise.

Snape continued. "Tonks decided to change her hair to green and silver right after you left the room. She said it was her way of showing unity."

That made Harry grin. "I've always liked her. She's kind of like a big sister to me." But then he sobered again. "It really doesn't surprise me much that Tonks would support what I had to say. But somehow I doubt that Moody got the picture."

"I'm not so sure. There wasn't much discussion after you left, but a lot of people seemed to be thinking about what you had to say. Even Moody looked a bit thoughtful, which I didn't think was possible for him.”

Harry rolled his eyes. "Moody will always be paranoid. I just wish he'd contain his paranoia for those on the other side. So, do I get to actually attend the Order meetings still, or did I get booted after chewing everyone out at my first meeting?" 

"Albus didn't say one way or the other. He seemed to think it best to give everyone a chance to think over the situation first. He did, however, say that he would allow you to go to the next meeting and a vote would be taken at that time as to whether you should stay or not.”

"Well, that's something, I guess," Harry muttered, staring moodily down into his drink.

"Harry," Severus said, bringing Harry's eyes up to meet his own. "I was very proud of you tonight. You said a lot that those people needed to hear, and you said it well. You were clear and you managed to keep your temper in check. Barely at times, perhaps, but you did keep your control, even with Moody. You also managed to show compassion and understanding with Molly." He looked at Harry appraisingly. "It would seem that you have learned to deal with people very effectively. The fact that you even got Albus to let you attend in the first place says something about your new skills in dealing with people."

Harry practically glowed with the pride that his father showed for him. "Thank you, Father. I'm really just doing what I feel I need to do. Maybe it's a part of me growing up. Maybe it's just all of my past catching up with me. I don't know for sure but, whatever it is, I feel as if I can relate to people on a lot of different levels. Being Harry Potter has certainly given me a wide range of experience that I don't think a lot of people have had."

This time it was Harry's turn to look at Severus appraisingly. "I think you probably understand better than anyone else would. You've been stuck between Voldemort and Dumbledore for far more years than me. You also had a nasty childhood."

"Maybe," Severus said, "but you have far more charisma, along with a willingness to actually try to get along with everyone. I think you get that charisma and charm from your mother. Your sense of presence probably comes from me."

Harry snorted. "No, you're not known for your diplomacy, but you're right. You do have a way of commanding a room." He continued thoughtfully, "Maybe it's the Harry Potter fame that factors in here as well. I've spent the last five years trying to figure out how to be the Gryffindor Golden Boy and the Hero of the Wizarding World. It is experience that has actually helped me gain some of that diplomacy."

"When you add all of that together—your fame, dealings with Dumbledore and Dark Lord, your experiences with both the light and dark sides of life and people, your experiences growing up, your mother's charm and charisma, my sense of presence—you have become a very charismatic young man with a commanding presence of your own."

Severus paused briefly before he went on. "When you speak now, people are sitting up and listening. You present a sense of honesty and trustworthiness. You not only speak your views, but you listen to other people's views, which is definitely not something that everyone does. So you earn their trust and respect by doing so. You have a way of persuading people to your point of view without them losing their sense of self. This is where I think Dumbledore has failed, with you in particular. The Dark Lord persuades, as such, with fear."

Severus looked Harry directly in the eyes. "You have a sense of respect and caring for others that neither the Dark Lord nor even Dumbledore has. We both know the Dark Lord doesn't care at all. Dumbledore cares, but his agenda for winning the war still comes first.

Harry just stared. "But I intend to win this war, just like Dumbledore."

"Yes, but there is a major difference. Dumbledore uses the people as a means to the end. You, however, use the war to gain the people.”

Harry only looked more confused after that statement. 

"What I mean is that, for Dumbledore, it's about winning the war against the Dark Lord for the Light side. For you, it's not really so much about winning. Yes, you want to win. And you will win," he said with conviction. "However, you intend to win because that's what you need to do for the actual people. Dumbledore fights the battle between good and evil. You are fighting for the people and their very humanity."

Severus leaned forward. "Harry, every time you speak, people are recognizing that you are on their side. That you are fighting for them. Even all of those adults in that room tonight that were opposed to you, the child, realized that you were fighting for them, the people. Dumbledore doesn't do that. He fights for the good, yes, but he doesn't truly fight for the individuals. People can be sacrificed if it is necessary to the cause. For you, that isn't an option. It is the individuals who matter."

"Do you really think I'm having that big of an impact?" Harry asked. He was amazed at all his father was telling him, and that could be heard in his voice.

"Yes, Harry, I do," Severus said simply. "You've grown up. And for all those reasons we've already mentioned, you've taken charge of your life. You've now got your own style and presence that you didn't have when you left school last year. You've come into your own, and you seem to be using it wisely."

Harry sat back in his chair again and drained the rest of his scotch. "Wow. And here I've been thinking that I was just doing what I had to do to win."

Severus chuckled. "You are doing what you have to do, but you're doing it with a style and confidence now that you didn't really have before."

Harry laughed, and they both lapsed into a companionable silence. Harry was thinking about all that his father had said. He'd never really thought of it that way. It was true though. He did care deeply for the people involved. His maturity over the last few months allowed him to recognize things in people that he hadn't been able to before. The 'evil Slytherins' being a good example of that. He was making good friends in that house that he never would’ve expected a few months before. He smiled as he thought of Draco. That was certainly one friendship that he never would have expected. 

He realized that his experience with his father this summer had a lot to do with his viewpoint about people. He had always hated Professor Snape. Taking the time to really get to know him this summer had made Harry realize that there was a lot more to people than what could always be seen on the surface. 

Which, Harry speculated, he should have realized before. People rarely took the time to truly get to know Harry himself. He had a lot of labels, and people just saw those labels without bothering to get to know him. With all this, it was no wonder that he had come to have more respect for people and their individuality.


	16. Chapter 16

Harry entered the Slytherin common room and quickly glanced around. Spotting Draco by the fire, he walked over and gave the blonde a kiss in greeting before laying down on the sofa and using Draco's lap as a pillow. Closing his eyes, he sighed deeply in contentment.

Draco didn't say a word, but gave Harry a warm smile before focusing once again on the book he'd been reading and absently running his fingers through Harry's hair.

"Where've you been, Dustin?" Blaise asked.

"He's been with Snape," Draco absently answered for Harry as he turned the page of his book.

Harry opened one eye to look at Draco curiously, but decided it wasn't worth the effort of questioning how exactly Draco knew where he'd been. It wasn't like it was a secret that he went off to talk with his father now and then. Harry just closed his eyes again, snuggling in closer to Draco.

Neither Harry nor Draco witnessed the amused looks exchanged between Blaise and Pansy. "Merlin, you'd think that you two had been together for years," Pansy said, her amusement clear in her voice.

Harry's eyes flew open and he turned to stare at Pansy. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why do you say that?" 

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," Pansy retorted. "It's just that you two have barely been together a month, but you act like you've known each other for years. You're just so comfortable with each other and always seem to know what's up with the other even when your partner isn't around."

Draco lowered his book and looked down at Harry thoughtfully. "I must admit, I understand what she means," Draco said with a soft smile for Harry. "I feel like I've known you forever."

He shook his head in confusion. "I know it sounds crazy, but I get almost a sense of déjà vu when I'm around you sometimes, like I really have known you a lot longer."

Harry was getting incredibly nervous with this conversation, despite the fact that he was pleased that Draco did seem to recognize him, subconsciously at least. Time to derail this conversation.

Harry propped himself up and slipped a hand behind Draco's head and pulled him down for a deep kiss, to which Draco responded immediately. Harry nipped at Draco's lower lip, causing him to part his lips and moan in pleasure. Taking advantage, Harry slipped his tongue inside Draco's mouth, enjoying the flavour of chocolate and Draco's own unique taste. 

Harry pulled back and collapsed boneless back onto Draco's lap, once again sighing in contentment. Mmmm, Harry couldn't decide if he wanted more of Malfoy's flavour or if he wanted chocolate now.

Draco lightly rocked his hips into the back of Harry's head and glared down at his boyfriend. "You are being a tease," he accused.

Harry looked up with a wicked grin. "Mmmm, so are you. Where are you hiding the chocolate you've been eating?"

Draco's eyes widened fractionally before he gave a surprised chuckle. 

"You've been caught, Draco," Blaise snickered.

Harry fluttered his lashes and gave Draco his best puppy dog eyes. He wondered idly if puppy dog eyes would be more effective with his own green eyes rather than the dark eyes like his father. "Share?" he pleaded.

Draco huffed, but relented by rummaging in his robe pockets and pulling out a chocolate frog and handing it to Harry. But before Harry accepted the offered sweet, he snagged Draco's hand, bringing it to his lips to place a soft kiss to his fingers. Only then did Harry take the treat and begin unwrapping it happily.

Draco shook his head even as he smiled softly at Harry's tender gesture.

Pansy chuckled. "See, this is what I mean. You two just _belong_ to each other and that's all there is to it. I've never seen two people behave more lovingly than you, yet you've only known each other a few weeks."

Blaise was snickering again as he studied Harry and Draco. "Personally, I can't decide if Dustin has Draco wrapped around his little finger or if it's vice versa."

Harry and Draco sent identical glares in Blaise's direction. "It just so happens, that it’s both," Draco declared haughtily. "I'm his and he's mine."

With speed and unexpectedness in his favour, Harry was up and straddling Draco's lap before anyone could respond. "Oooh, I love it when you're possessive," Harry purred seductively, before claiming Draco's mouth.

Harry ravaged Draco's mouth, rendering the blonde incapable of remembering what they had been discussing. Or rather, forcing the blonde to simply not care anymore. All that mattered to Draco was that Harry not stop.

And Harry didn't. Being forced to break away for breath merely triggered Harry to trail kisses along Draco's jaw, then down his neck—licking, nibbling, tasting. Draco allowed his head to fall gracefully to the back of the couch, tilting his head to the side to offer Harry better access as he moaned with the pleasurable sensations Harry was causing to course through his body.

Draco began slipping buttons from their corresponding buttonholes on Harry's robes. Harry pulled back slightly to give Draco more room to manoeuvre, but never stopped his ministrations on Draco's neck. Currently he was laving attention on a particularly sensitive spot directly below Draco's ear.

"Merlin," Pansy breathed. "You two aren't going to stop, are you?"

Harry pulled back a little more and began swiftly undoing the buttons on Draco's robes, even as he answered Pansy. "If you don't want to see anything, then don't watch," he said, before planting his lips at the newly exposed hollow at the base of Draco's throat, causing Draco to moan in pleasure once again.

Draco had finished unbuttoning Harry's robes and spread them around their bodies, effectively blocking everyone's view while providing him more access at the same time. Draco's robes were unbuttoned and his shirt buttons quickly followed. Harry pressed forward, bringing them chest to chest, skin to skin, causing them to moan in unison. 

"Don't you think you two should get a room?" Blaise asked breathily.

"We're Slytherins," Draco panted. "Not like we're the first to do this in the common room."

"True, but usually it's only during parties and everyone is pleasantly drunk," Blaise retorted, albeit somewhat shakily. 

Neither Harry nor Draco bothered to respond. With Harry's robes currently draped over the edge of the sofa and away from his body, it wasn't as noticeable to anyone watching that Harry was rocking his hips against Draco's. 

Pansy and Blaise knew exactly what was going on, but the two on the sofa were mostly blocked from the view of the others in the common room. Anyone else observing the two was simply witnessing a very heated snog session. 

The friction Harry was generating was driving Draco mad, but he wanted more. As Harry ran his hands over Draco's chest and teased his nipples, Draco nimbly undid the front of both their trousers and brought their erections together in his grip. Their mutual groans were muffled as Harry crashed his lips down once more upon Draco's.

Any words of passion and cries of pleasure were swallowed by the deep kisses. Harry plunged his tongue in and out of Draco's mouth, mimicking other actions, including the action Draco's hands were currently performing. 

The sweet sensations they were giving each other, as well as the knowledge that they were being watched, brought them to climax soon enough. Draco dropped his head to the back of the couch again, breathing heavily as Harry collapsed against him. Neither made any other movements as they tried to catch their breath.

"Who knew watching two boys get off on each other would be so hot?" Pansy said, her voice dazed and her eyes slightly glazed over.

The two boys in question snickered quietly. Harry opened his eyes and from his vantage point he could see Blaise shifting uncomfortably in his chair, which caused Harry to snicker more. 

"Have a problem, Blaise?"

Draco lifted his head to witness Blaise sending them both a glare. "You two are downright evil."

"Thank you," Draco drawled in obvious appreciation, even though they all knew Blaise hadn't intended it as a compliment.

Blaise shook his head in defeat, but allowed a small grin to grace his features. 

"So anyway," Draco said conversationally, as he surreptitiously slipped his wand from his robe pocket, "why were you off visiting your father, Dustin?"

Harry sat up slightly. "Oh, nothing important. I was mainly just checking in with him and letting him know how my classes were going." While Harry was answering, Draco softly muttered a couple of cleaning spells on them, and then they began putting their clothing back in order.

Neither Pansy nor Blaise were fooled, but neither heard Draco perform the cleaning spells and the conversation admittedly did detract attention from what Harry and Draco were doing.

"You go visit with your father a lot, don't you?" Pansy questioned, her brow furrowed at that realization.

Harry shrugged lightly. "Yeah, the times vary, but I try to meet with him at least once a day. I never knew my father before this summer, so I guess you could say we're making up for lost time.”

It was the truth, even if Harry did leave out the fact that many of their discussions involved strategy and planning regarding the war, and oftentimes the time Harry spent with his father was in training of one sort or another. They were honestly still making up for lost time, spending time getting to know each other as father and son. And just because Harry had known Snape for years, he hadn't known he was his _father_ before this summer.

With their clothing back in order, aside from the robes that they left unbuttoned, Harry slid off of Draco's lap and lay down once again.

"I actually wish Snape could've been my father," Blaise said somewhat bitterly. "I mean, he's a Death Eater too, but he treats you so much nicer than my father treats me."

"Hey, I know it's got to be hard," Harry said compassionately. "But whatever you do, don't blame yourself. Some of the Death Eaters just get more caught up in the power trips than others."

"I feel like I've pretty much lost my father and it hurts," Blaise said quietly.

Harry stretched across the distance between them and squeezed Blaise's hand. "Believe it or not, I do understand. It's not the same, but I thought my father was lost until this summer. I didn't know him at all and I know how much it hurts." He sighed deeply. "I'm not sure there's much you can do to change things. All you can really do is make your own decisions and choose to live your life well. Despite the way he acts and the things he says, I'm absolutely positive that deep down your father does want you to be happy." 

Harry paused. "Unfortunately, your father is under Voldemort's influence and has the misguided belief that following him is what would make you happy," he said ruefully, offering Blaise a slight smile.

Blaise snorted. "Misguided is one way of putting it." But then he smiled softly. "Thanks, Dustin. If nothing else, I'd like to believe you're right."

"I'm glad," Harry said, giving Blaise's hand a final squeeze before letting go.

"How'd we go from hot sex to this depressing topic?" Draco asked with a grimace, hoping to lighten the mood again.

The others snickered, the tension broken, but Harry was the one to respond. "If you think I'm having more hot sex with you right now, then you are sadly mistaken," he said with a mischievous grin directed at Draco.

"Oh?" Draco inquired, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Of course, I could possibly be persuaded to take you back to my room with me later," Harry offered with a sly smile.

"I think I will have to take you up on that offer." Draco leered down at his boyfriend still positioned with his head on his lap.

For the next couple of hours, the four friends relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. They avoided any other mention of fathers and Death Eaters, although there was plenty more flirting throughout the evening. The banter was enjoyable and Harry especially appreciated these times getting to know his new friends better.

~*~*~*~

"Why are we here again?" Draco whinged.

Harry rolled his eyes. They were currently standing in front of the Fat Lady's portrait and Draco was far from happy at being there. 

"Draco, you know I need to get that information from Hermione.”

"You can get it tomorrow," Draco replied, sulking.

"The next DA meeting is tomorrow, as you already know. If I can get the information today from Hermione, then we can work things out ahead of time and leave more time for actual training during the meeting," Harry explained again patiently.

"Well, why couldn't we have met them in the library or the Room of Requirement like we usually do?" Draco asked, still sounding surly. 

"Because Hermione barely had a chance to tell me before class started that she'd recruited a bunch of new members. We didn't have time to arrange a meeting," Harry said. "You were there when she told us, and you know McGonagall kept us busy all class. When I got a chance to think about it again, I realized that it would really be better to go over it today."

"I know that," Draco snapped. "But I'm barely getting used to the idea of having to work with them. I sure as fuck don't want to walk into Gryffindor territory. It's just _wrong_ for Slytherins to be here."

Harry sighed. "If it makes you feel better, then think of it as getting to know your enemy—you know, infiltrating the enemy camp to learn their secrets."

Draco's eyes lit up until he saw the disappointment on Harry's face. He exhaled heavily. "Like you'd let me use any incriminating information against them anyway," he muttered, but not sounding quite as sulky as before.

"Not that I could stop you, but I wouldn't want you to, no," Harry replied wearily. "If you gather information and use it against the Gryffindors, it would be a huge setback for the DA."

"Fine," Draco replied, sounding almost as weary as Harry now. "I'll try to behave."

Harry rewarded him with a gentle kiss. "Thank you." Then he gave Draco a wicked grin. "You behave and I'll make it up to you later tonight."

Draco pulled Harry in for a deeper kiss that left them both breathless. "You better.”

Harry smiled, and then turned to knock on the portrait, hoping to get someone's attention.

A few seconds later, Creevey opened the portrait and looked at them somewhat fearfully. That was one thing he sure didn't miss about being Harry Potter—he didn't have Colin following him around and pestering him all the time now.

"Could we come in?" Harry asked politely. "We need to talk with Hermione and Ron about the DA meeting tomorrow."

"Uh," Creevey said, looking extremely nervous about letting them in.

"Just go get Granger," Draco snapped.

Creevey turned and let the portrait slam shut. It wasn't long before it opened again and Hermione was gesturing for them to enter. She looked a little wary, and Harry couldn't really blame her. Not all the Gryffindors were going to appreciate two Slytherins entering their private domain.

"Why are you two here?" Jack Sloper demanded. He'd been added to the Quidditch team last year, but since Harry had been banned so early in the season, he didn't get to know the boy that well. Quidditch was still a sore topic in Harry's mind since he still wasn't able to play. He mentally shook his head to clear it of thoughts about Quidditch to focus on the current situation.

"They're here to talk to me," Hermione said with a glare at her housemate.

"They can talk to you elsewhere!" Sloper yelled. "They don't belong here!" There were murmurs of agreement throughout the room. 

Harry spoke up, hoping to defuse the situation before it got out of hand. "I apologize for intruding. We simply need to go over some things for tomorrow's DA meeting and I didn't have a chance to arrange a meeting with Hermione elsewhere. So I came here hoping to catch her," he said with what he hoped was a winning smile.

Andrew Kirke, Sloper's partner, spoke out. "That may be true, but I don't trust you. We don't need a Snape and a Malfoy in Gryffindor tower," he declared hotly.

"Like I want to be here," Draco sneered. He'd been looking around the room with obvious distaste. 

Harry was frustrated. He'd known that Draco wasn't going to be helpful in this situation. He ran a hand through his hair in agitation. "Look, we don't mean any trouble. We just need to go over some things today, like I said, so we don't have to waste time during the DA meeting tomorrow."

"Leave them alone," Ginny shouted in their defence. "They're here to work on things that will help all of us out." 

Harry and Hermione shot her a grateful look, but Draco, as well as many of the Gryffindors, looked at her in surprise. Hermione was elbowing Ron sharply in the ribs. 

Ron glared at her before speaking up. "Yeah, I suppose you should leave them be," he said sulkily. "Me and Hermione need to talk about some new DA members with them. And I'd rather be here and comfortable than stuck in the library again anyway," he added in a surly tone.

Hermione was returning Ron's glare now, but several people were snickering. All the Gryffindors knew that Hermione was always dragging Ron off to the library. Particularly with Harry gone this year, Ron didn't have anyone around to help him fight off Hermione's fondness for studying constantly.

Hermione waved Harry and Draco to follow her over to where she and Ron were sitting. Despite some general grumbling and wary gazes continuing to watch their every move, the Gryffindors shut up and allowed the two Slytherins to fully enter the common room.

As they sat, Draco looked highly uncomfortable. Harry, on the other hand, made himself right at home. This was truly a bittersweet visit to the tower for him. He liked being in Slytherin, but the tower had been his only real home for the last five years. The cheery common room was bringing back a lot of memories which were essentially making him feel homesick.

Hermione noticed Harry's sudden uneasiness. "Are you sure you're all right being here?" she asked quietly. 

Draco looked at him sharply. Harry had been the one to insist on them coming here, after all. 

"I'm fine," Harry said. "Just tired of the fighting, I guess."

Hermione and Draco both seemed satisfied with his answer. "Yeah, and this room is making us sick," Draco sneered.

Harry rolled his eyes, which Hermione didn't miss. It wasn't only the Slytherins who noticed how much influence Harry seemed to have over Draco. 

Harry leaned over and gave Draco a deep kiss. "Draco, you promised to behave," he whispered. 

"All right," Draco answered. "But you remember you still owe me," he said with a light glare directed at Harry.

Harry gave him a wicked smirk. "I won't forget, love."

With Draco satisfied, they turned back to face Ron and Hermione. Hermione's eyes were slightly glazed after watching the two boys kiss, but Ron was rolling his eyes and looking mildly disgusted.

"Can't you do that elsewhere?" Ron snapped.

"Oh, but we do," Draco leered.

"Let's get started," Hermione interrupted before Ron and Draco could get started in on each other yet again.

"Agreed," Harry said quickly. "What have you got for us?"

With that, the four switched over into business mode. 

"Well, we've got a list of people who wish to join," Hermione started.

"Yeah, another ten members," Ron added.

"Does that include those two Ravenclaws we were talking to in Arithmancy?" Draco asked Hermione.

She nodded. "They approached me in the library last night and said they'd made their decision and they want to be a part of it. Although I think they're more interested in learning new information than believing they'll actually need it to defend themselves."

"That's okay," Harry said with a shrug. "Hopefully they won't ever actually need it. If a bonus is helping everyone do well in defence class, as well as their OWLS and NEWTS, then so be it."

"Obviously they shouldn't be a part of any of the main defensive groups though," Draco pointed out.

"I'm thinking they would do well enough as part of one of the defence groups assigned to the far side of the castle," Hermione said.

"But that's not good strategy," Ron exclaimed. "I know it's likely an area that wouldn't need defending as much, but you can't put only weaker members there in case an attack does occur on that side."

"Weasley has a point," Draco admitted grudgingly.

Harry was nodding thoughtfully. "Well, maybe we need to mix up the teams we assign to the back and far side of the castle."

"Everyone will be learning the spells, regardless of their original intentions for joining the DA," Hermione pointed out.

"But they're weak. If they don't have the drive to learn it and expect to actually use it, they're more likely to lose focus if an actual battle were to occur," Draco said.

"Maybe we could assign a strong leader to each of those groups," Ron suggested. "They're going to learn the spells to defend, but if they had someone directing them, it would give them something to focus on during a battle."

"In general, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs would likely perform better with someone to provide direction," Hermione admitted.

"Some of the Slytherins would work well in those positions," Draco said.

Hermione and Ron looked at him askance, but Harry nodded. "I agree. Some of them are strong, determined, know their spell work and could lead well, but they aren't going to want to be out front where they'd be more likely to literally face former friends and family."

Hermione and Ron looked both horrified and more understanding at the same time, and Draco sneered at them contemptuously. "Many of the Slytherins grow up in different circumstances than you lot and you're just now figuring it out, aren't you?" he snarled.

The two Gryffindors had the grace to flush lightly. "Until now, it's never really hit me how hard it would actually be for you and your friends to have to go against your families," Hermione admitted quietly.

"Erm, no offense, but all the Slytherins have been coming to the meetings," Ron said nervously. "Are they really all going against the dark side?"

Harry and Draco exchanged a glance. "We think so," Harry said quietly. "They're trying to, at least, but it'll be hard. So far they haven't been forced to actually speak out against their parents."

"But how did you manage to convince them all?" Hermione asked, sounding bemused. "That's a huge decision even just to join the DA, but almost all of you were there for the first true meeting. We're still working to convince a lot of people in the other three houses. I've been kind of afraid to ask," she admitted quietly.

Another glance was exchanged between the two Slytherins. 

"You think they'll keep quiet about it?" Draco whispered to Harry. Ron and Hermione were the only other two that could hear him in their corner of the common room.

Harry nodded. "They're the other two leaders for the DA and they have a vested interest in it. Besides, they're Gryffindors and aren't going to willingly jeopardize anyone."

Draco gazed suspiciously at the two Gryffindors in question.

Hermione and Ron looked wary, but nodded their agreement that they'd keep their secret, whatever it was. 

"After the very first initial meeting, Draco and I sat down to talk with the other Slytherins and attempted to address their particular concerns," Harry said.

Draco snorted, bringing the others' attention to him. "Yeah, we may have done that, but what Dustin really did was scare the pants off everyone."

Harry shrugged. "It was effective."

Draco snorted again. "Dustin brought in a Pensieve and gave the entire common room a viewing of a typical Death Eater meeting. Very effective indeed," he drawled. He leaned back and enjoyed the shocked expressions at his announcement.

"You actually showed them?" Ron asked, looking a little green.

Harry nodded. "I'm one of the exceptions because I grew up away from my father. Many of the Slytherins, though, have grown up to believe that they would be following Voldemort—whether they liked it or not. They needed something concrete to show them that being a Death Eater and following Voldemort isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"I'll say," Draco muttered.

Harry gave him a concerned look. "Let's get back to these new members," he said, changing the subject. "We still need to decide where to place everyone so that we can place them directly with their groups tomorrow." 

Hermione nodded decisively and gathered up the parchments that had the lists of all the different groups. For the next hour the four worked together deciding on where to place the newest members and which members would make good leaders for the various groups based on their progress so far in the DA.

It was a productive session, and gradually the other Gryffindors in the common room relaxed and soon paid no attention to the fact that there were two Slytherins still in their territory. Even the diehards knew that Ron would put up a stink before anyone if the Slytherins, Malfoy especially, tried anything. They'd been fighting for years already, after all.


	17. Chapter 17

The second they got back to Harry's room, Draco pushed Harry over to the bed until Harry fell back onto it laughing.

"Are you eager to collect your reward for behaving so well with the Gryffindors?" 

"Yes, I am. I think I behaved very well for being in the lion's den," Draco declared, hands on his hips. "Then you made me wait until after dinner."

Harry chuckled. "I wasn't sure you'd let me leave the bedroom again once we got here."

"Damn right you're not going anywhere," Draco practically purred as he let his eyes roam over Harry's form sprawled on the bed.

Harry's eyes took on a wicked gleam. "Strip for me," he commanded softly.

Draco's eyes widened fractionally before glazing over slightly in anticipated desire. He backed up a step and began to slowly undo the fastenings on his robe. 

Harry sat up and removed his own robes quickly, taking out his wand and putting up several wards, particularly silencing charms and wards that would let his father know not to enter without warning. Lying back on the bed, Harry propped himself up on his elbows where he would be able to better enjoy the view.

Draco had finished with his robes by this time, and once Harry was lying down again, he slowly shrugged the robes off his shoulders and let them slide down his arms. Harry unconsciously licked his lips in anticipation. 

Draco's clothing was almost always more formal than Harry's. Today he was wearing tailored gray wool trousers that fit his form perfectly, along with a simple white silk button down shirt.

Tossing the robes aside, Draco began at the hollow of his throat, slipping buttons from their corresponding buttonholes. Harry's eyes became fixated on those long, pale fingers as they deftly accomplished their task.

Harry swallowed hard at the realization that those hands were very accomplished at whatever they set out to do—whether it was undoing buttons, chopping ingredients for potions, or most importantly, pleasuring Harry. 

Draco switched to the buttons on the cuffs, causing the shirt to finally fall open and Harry moaned in appreciation of the skin that was revealed. Draco was lightly muscled and Harry knew from experience that his chest was incredibly soft and smooth, overlaying the hardness of the muscles.

Draco's hands were back in view as Harry watched them tug the hem of the shirt from the trousers, exposing Draco's navel. Harry had the great urge to thrust his tongue in, knowing that it would make Draco writhe. Instead, Harry watched as long fingers lightly grazed up that toned torso to flick at the fabric on his shoulders. The smooth silk slid all the way down toned arms, falling to puddle on the floor.

Harry watched eagerly as Draco's hands skipped downwards from shoulders to pink nipples. Harry wasn't the only one to moan as fingertips circled slowly before gently tweaking the nipples into hardness. It wasn't long before Draco's hands trailed further down.

Nimble fingers once more proved their abilities as they made quick work of the buckle of Draco's belt. Harry's eyes followed the strip of dragon hide as it was dragged through the loops of the trousers. Draco drew it up in front of his face, bringing Harry's attention to him.

Harry wasn't sure who was more turned on by this sensual display when his eyes locked onto Draco's. Draco's eyes were half closed and had turned a shining silver. His gaze was intense with his obvious desire. Draco ran his middle finger along his bottom lip and Harry's gaze was once again diverted.

Draco flicked his tongue out, licking at his finger. Harry let out a loud groan when Draco slipped that pale digit into his mouth and began sucking. That wet finger slipped from Draco's mouth with a slight pop and moved to twirl delicately around pale pink nipples. 

Draco let out a low, sultry chuckle. "Are you enjoying this?" he asked. Harry nodded fervently, eliciting another low chuckle from Draco.

There was not a shred of doubt in Harry's mind that Draco was enjoying every second of this.

"Oh gods, Draco. Hurry up!" Harry exclaimed, his voice husky with desire.

Draco shifted his weight and, judging from the movement and sounds, Harry was certain Draco had toed off his shoes, maybe even socks. Harry didn't take his eyes off of those agile fingers to check though, for now they were trailing lightly across a taut abdomen. 

They hovered only briefly over the button on the trousers before deftly slipping the button free. Harry's eyes watched avidly as thumb joined finger to slowly pull down the zipper, revealing charcoal coloured boxers. The odd thought flittered through Harry's mind that Draco was nothing if not colour coordinated. 

With a sensual sway of hips, pants fell to the floor, only to be stepped out of and kicked aside. Harry swallowed hard again, knowing there was only one more piece of clothing to go. 

Draco's hard length was clearly outlined by the smooth silk and Harry groaned at the sight of the wetness caused by leaking precome. 

"Take them off," Harry whispered. "I want to see all of you."

"Mmmm," Draco murmured his agreement and slid the boxers down his lean hips and deftly stepped out of them, leaving him standing there finally free of all his clothing.

Harry's eyes raked up and down Draco's body. Draco's lean, muscular build was absolutely perfect in Harry's opinion and he told Draco so.

"You're gorgeous, Draco," Harry breathed. "Come here."

Draco stepped to the bed where Harry promptly snagged him around the waist and pulled him onto the bed—onto Harry. Draco was as eager as Harry and, fisting his hands in Harry's hair, Draco crushed his lips to Harry's. 

The kiss was deep, passionate and full of fire. There was heat and desire flowing freely between them, the sensations affecting them both deeply. They spent long minutes like that, simply snogging. Although, in actuality, there was nothing simple about it.

Gradually, Harry gave himself permission to let his hands roam. Never breaking the passionate kiss, he slid his hands up Draco's sides from where they had previously settled at Draco's hips to keep him still. 

Draco's skin was so incredibly soft and smooth, and Harry enjoyed the feel of it. He also felt the tremors that coursed through Draco's body as Harry's strong hands slipped around to Draco's back. His hands travelled up and down the expanse of Draco's back, his touch almost more of a massage than a caress with the firm pressure he was applying.

Until his hands slipped further down to firmly grasp Draco's arse. Draco groaned deeply, breaking away from the kiss, panting heavily.

"Merlin, you feel so good," Harry whispered into Draco's ear as he nibbled at the sensitive flesh. 

Draco mumbled incoherently, lost in the sensations. Harry reigned in his control, and Draco's, and stilled Draco's hips once again. Draco whimpered at the loss of the pleasurable friction that had been generating between the two of them.

Harry suddenly flipped them so that he was lying atop Draco. Harry nipped at a particularly sensitive spot on Draco's neck before laving it generously with his tongue. "Does that velvet feel good against you?" Harry murmured, licking his way back to Draco's ear.

Harry was still fully clothed, only minus his school robes. He was wearing dark green soft velvet pants and a silver button down shirt—Slytherin colours. Another thought flitted through Harry's mind that Slytherin colours seemed appropriate for seduction of a Slytherin. He wasn't entirely sure who was seducing who, although he was in control at the moment.

He was still holding tightly to Draco's hips, but Draco was squirming deliciously under Harry's body, trying to regain that friction and admittedly very much enjoying the feel of that soft velvet. It was an extremely sensual feeling.

"Yes," Draco hissed.

Harry pushed his hips down, firmly pressing their erections together before sliding his own velvet encased length along Draco's cock. Harry had no idea if the wetness seeping through the velvet was from Draco or himself. If he'd been more coherent, he would have realized that it was both of them.

Fearing this was going to end far sooner than he wanted it to, Harry abruptly sat up and pulled away from Draco's body. 

"Dustin?" Draco whimpered. 

Harry didn't answer as he stood and began stripping off his own clothes. His movements weren't exactly hurried, but they were definitely not the slow, sensual strip tease that Draco had performed earlier.

Draco watched intently as Harry's clothing fell away from his body. Harry's arousal was very obvious and Draco whimpered again at the sight. 

Harry stood for a moment staring down at Draco, licking his lips at the delicious body on display before him. With cat-like grace, Harry slinked back onto the bed, stealthily stalking his prey, nudging Draco's knees further apart so he could stretch out between them. 

In one broad stroke, Harry licked Draco's erection from base to tip, looking up at Draco through his lashes. Draco's eyes fluttered shut, unable to remain open, as a deep groan ripped from his throat.

Satisfied with the response he was getting, Harry set about his chosen task in earnest. Gripping the base in one hand to hold Draco's erection steady, Harry lapped at the precome glistening on the head. 

_Just one more delicious Malfoy flavour_ , Harry thought with a grin. The boy lying beneath him was far more enjoyable, and suited Harry's tastes better, than a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. 

Harry swirled his tongue around the head before pressing his tongue into the extra sensitive spot directly behind it, causing Draco to moan and his hips to lift in pleasure. Harry shifted to place his free hand firmly on Draco's hip, effectively pinning him to the bed. 

Harry looked up at Draco through his lashes again as he flicked his tongue against the hard length. Draco's eyes were shut tight and his hands were fisted in the blankets.

"Draco, look at me," Harry commanded softly.

Draco's eyes slowly fluttered open to stare dazedly down at Harry. "Oh, gods," he moaned at the sight of Harry kneeling between his legs and his tongue continuing to flick over the head of his cock.

Harry smiled. "Keep your eyes open and watch," he whispered.

Draco nodded, although his eyes rolled when Harry first closed his mouth around Draco's cock and slid it deep into his mouth. Harry sucked gently and laved his tongue expertly along the underside. 

Keeping one hand on Draco's hip, Harry moved his other hand to gently knead and roll Draco's balls with his fingers. At the same time, he slowly slid his mouth further down Draco's erection until he'd swallowed it all and his nose was buried in sweet smelling curls.

Draco let loose a keening cry and his hands moved to grip Harry's head, fingers lacing tightly with the raven strands. Harry didn't think he was going to last long, let alone Draco, with the amazing sounds pouring from Draco's lips. 

Harry was gliding his mouth up and down slowly, despite the pressure from Draco's hands attempting to urge him to go faster. Sliding back up, Harry pressed his tongue firmly against the large vein and kept that pressure until he reached the head. Sliding his tongue across the slit once, he again dropped back down all the way to the root.

He could feel Draco's body tensing in anticipation of pending orgasm. Sliding back up, Harry looked to Draco. Draco was watching as Harry had told him, pale lashes fluttering against his cheeks only briefly before Draco's eyes would open partly again. Harry's gaze flicked over the sultry eyes glazed over with lust, the lush pink lips slightly bruised from the earlier kisses, and the warm flush bathing Draco's cheeks.

Harry's own eyes fluttered shut for a moment, and he paused for just a moment in his attention to Draco. Eyes opening again to make sure Draco was watching, he lifted his hand from Draco's hip and brought it to his own straining erection. 

His hand slowly pumping his own length, Harry resumed his concentration on bringing pleasure to Draco, swirling his tongue in tantalizing patterns as he dipped his head lower. With Draco buried in his throat, Harry hummed lightly, and Draco cried out as his orgasm hit him with force.

Harry found his own release even as he swallowed every last drop of Draco's. He slowly licked him clean. Eyes heavily lidded, he gazed up at Draco. Draco's eyes were shut and he was trying to regain his breath. 

Waving his hand and muttering a cleanup spell, Harry crawled up beside Draco and pillowed his head on Draco's chest. Harry rejoiced when Draco's arms wrapped around him tightly. 

"That was absolutely amazing," Draco said finally.

"I did say I would reward you," Harry said with a light chuckle.

"If that's going to be the reward, then I'm going to have to think about behaving more often," Draco said fervently.

Harry smiled into Draco's chest. He loved being with Draco. He was an incredible person. His upbringing and subsequent nasty attitudes sometimes got in the way, but Harry rarely saw the same obnoxious prick he'd thought he'd known all these years. With a little, okay a lot, of encouragement from Harry, Draco was even learning to work with Ron and Hermione. 

There was so much more to this boy that he'd never realized before. He knew that Draco was intelligent, as he always did well in classes, especially potions. He was a fabulous flyer and a good seeker, even if Harry wouldn't admit it out loud before. Harry wouldn't have remotely admitted even to himself that Draco was gorgeous. He'd always been refined and elegant with his aristocratic air, but there was a grace there now that Harry didn't think had been there before. Harry might have admitted that Draco was capable of loyalty—particularly to his friends and members of his own house.

There had always been passion between them. Of course, Harry never would have called it that before. Label it fierce rivalry and he would have agreed. But, looking back now, he could see how they'd always clashed more with each other than anyone else. Things had always been intense between them and that intensity was now spilling over into passion.

He had also since learned that there was so much more to Draco. Not only was he intelligent, athletic, gorgeous, competitive and passionate—he was also caring, considerate, charming, witty, and generously loving with Harry. 

Harry sighed. Unfortunately, Draco still didn't know who he actually was.

"What was the sigh for?" Draco asked, gently brushing the hair away from Harry's eyes.

Harry lifted his head and smiled at Draco. Despite trying to mask his feelings, some of his sadness showed and Draco frowned at him in concern.

"Dustin?"

Harry closed his eyes and managed not to flinch at the sound of his new name. It only reinforced that Draco didn't know who he really was. And Harry knew damn well that Draco would not be happy once he did find out.

"Stay with me tonight?" Harry asked softly.

The frown didn't ease, but Draco nodded immediately. "I'd love to. But tell me what's wrong."

Harry sighed again. He studied Draco's face for a few moments and absently brushed his fingertips along Draco's cheek. "I think I'm falling in love with you," he said, smiling softly.

Draco blinked. "And this is what makes you sad?"

Harry shook his head slightly. "No, it makes me very, very happy. I guess I'm just afraid things have moved too quickly."

"Is that why you keep backing off on taking things any further?" Draco asked, still frowning. "I know you're not a virgin."

Harry gave him a tender kiss before pulling back to answer. "No, I'm not. But it's never meant anything to me before. There were no ties and I could've cared less if someone got hurt."

He cupped his hand to Draco's cheek and smiled to see Draco unconsciously lean into the touch. "Draco, you mean so very much to me. I was feeling a little sad because I was thinking about how I don't want to hurt you."

"Would it make you feel better if I told you that I think I'm falling in love with you, too?" Draco asked with a gentle smile.

Harry's eyes sparkled with unshed tears and happiness, and in ironic contrast, a touch of sadness as well. "It makes me feel warm, safe, protected, cherished."

"And loved," Draco added. He gave Harry a self deprecating smile. "I'm not sure how much 'I think' there was really involved."

Harry grinned. "The cold, icy Slytherin prince incapable of human emotion. Draco Malfoy, are you trying to say you love me?"

Draco pulled Harry down for a passionate kiss that left them both breathless. "Yes, I love you," Draco said before pulling Harry down once again.

"I love you, too," Harry said, his eyes sparkling with tears again. Draco brushed a stray tear away with his thumb, his own eyes suspiciously bright.

"I didn't think I was capable of feeling this way, or having anyone feel this way about me," Draco admitted.

Harry cupped Draco's face in his hands and stared intently into those silver depths. "You are more than capable. I love who you are and I love you," Harry declared with quiet intensity. It left Draco speechless, and after a few moments Harry rolled completely on top of Draco and began to show him how well he was loved.


	18. Chapter 18

"Dustin?"

Harry lifted his gaze from the parchment he was working on. "Yeah?" he said, mind clearly still on his assignment.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I swear you study more than Granger sometimes."

Harry finally gave Draco his full attention and gave him a sheepish grin. "You study hard, too," he protested weakly.

Draco snorted. "I do. But half the time it seems you never take a break. If you're not working on assignments or reading, you're working on DA plans. And with the DA groups, you participate with almost all of them in one way or another."

"You do, too," Harry said, still protesting.

Draco shook his head. "No, I don't. I help where needed during the meetings, but that's about it. Otherwise I only participate in our offensive group. At least once a week you meet with one of the other groups outside of the regular meetings, helping them go over spells and such."

"I'm just helping to make sure everyone stays on track," Harry muttered.

"You're getting in extra lessons is what you're doing," Draco said, obviously amused. "I know you've been going with the group helping in the infirmary sometimes while I'm at Quidditch practice, too."

Harry looked totally disgruntled. "Well, I've got to have something to do while you're out flying," he grumbled.

That distracted Draco for a moment. He cocked his head curiously at Harry. "You know, you never come to any of the practices and you always change the subject when it comes to Quidditch. I just never realized it before. Do you not like the game?"

Harry closed his eyes briefly. Quidditch was definitely a subject he'd been avoiding at all costs. He had a simple answer for Draco though, as he'd known it would come up eventually. "I don't like flying. I got into a really bad accident one time.”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his own words. Merlin knew he'd been in several bad accidents, but it certainly hadn't ever deterred him from flying. It was a simple enough explanation, though.

"What happened?" Draco asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry said, turning his head away so he wouldn't have to look at Draco. And he _really_ didn't want to talk about it. 

That was one of the few things he hated about being Dustin Snape. He should've been able to play Quidditch again this year with Umbridge gone, but he'd lost that chance. He hated not being able to play and he couldn't take his broom out anyway, since someone would recognize it. Harry's Firebolt, along with any of his things that screamed Harry Potter, had been left in his room at Snape Manor. 

Harry finally turned back to Draco and realized that the blonde was staring at him intently. 

"One accident and it turned you off flying?" Draco asked suspiciously. "That doesn't sound like the Dustin I know. The one who's training almost half the school and seems to have no fear when it comes to the idea of possibly fighting against Death Eaters. Yet, you're afraid of flying?"

"Yeah, well, everyone has to be afraid of something," Harry snapped. "Besides, I'm training because I _am_ afraid of not being able to defend myself if something does happen."

Draco was finally looking at him in concern. "Dustin, what happened?"

Harry sighed heavily. He hated outright lying to Draco like this. "Draco, look, I really don't want to talk about this right now. Maybe I'll be ready to tell you about it some other time, but not now."

After several long moments, Draco spoke up again. "Fine, then we'll go back to the other subject you were trying to avoid."

Harry's startled gaze turned back to Draco. "What do you mean?" he asked nervously.

"You were trying to get out of going over all the things you've been doing.”

Harry shrugged uncomfortably. 

Draco shook his head. "Slytherins are known for being ambitious, but you seem to take that to another level."

"Yeah, well, I know I've been working a little too hard, probably," Harry admitted. "I just didn't want to draw any attention to that fact."

"Dustin, you work harder than anyone I know," Draco said quietly. "I'm just a little worried, to be honest."

Harry raised his eyebrows in astonishment. "Worried about what?" he asked. "I've been making sure that we have lots of time together still. At least, I thought I was."

Draco was the one looking a little uncomfortable now. "You have been. In fact, we spend even more time together now that I'm sleeping in your room every night," he said, smirking with regained confidence.

Harry was looking confused, though. "I don't understand then. I mean, I know I've been working hard and doing a lot of extra stuff with the DA, and I do spend probably too much time working. I didn't really want to talk about it because I knew you'd just tease me and give me a hard time about it all. There's nothing there to actually be worried about," he said in a bemused tone.

"You're working too hard," Draco said simply. "You've been looking more and more run down lately, and you always seem to be tired."

Harry smiled ruefully. "Maybe I should get Madame Pomfrey to give me some of those pepper-up potions next time I'm in the infirmary, then."

Draco looked at Harry curiously. "Are you really taking the lessons from her like the rest of the students in the medical group?"

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, knowing some basic healing spells doesn't seem like such a bad idea."

Draco rolled his eyes. "This is what I mean. You've just got too much going on and you need to slow down a bit. On top of everything else, there are all the extra lessons you do with your father, as well."

"I'm fine, Draco," Harry said. "I could probably stop going with the group to the infirmary, though. I know a few basics now, and I was only helping them get started with her, anyway. But I'm not giving up the extra lessons with my father."

"Actually, that was what I originally wanted to talk to you about," Draco admitted.

Harry looked at him curiously. 

"I was wondering if you thought he'd be willing to let me go to your training sessions with you, so he could train me too," Draco said.

"Probably," Harry said with a shrug. "I'll talk to him about it later."

"No, not tonight," Draco said decisively. "You are going to put all this work aside and go to bed at a decent time for once."

"Oh, really?" Harry smirked. "You trying to get me into bed for a reason?"

"Yes, to sleep," Draco drawled, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"But sleep's no fun," Harry pouted.

"Well, if you go to bed now, it'll be early enough that you might have time for other activities and still get some much needed sleep," Draco said suggestively.

"Now that's more like it," Harry said, quickly capping his ink.

~*~*~*~

Eventually, Draco managed to wake Harry, but it was far from a peaceful awakening. Harry jerked to a sitting position, clutching at his forehead. After listening to Harry scream for the last five minutes, being unable to wake him, then to find him clutching his forehead—there was only one person Draco knew of that did this type of thing. But that couldn't be right, could it?

Harry was gasping in pain as his forehead tried to split in two. One glance in Draco's direction though, and he knew that Draco was obviously questioning his behaviour. And following the right line of questions, judging by the look on his face. Harry had to get him and Draco to his father. One, so he could tell his father about the vision, and two, before the shock wore off of Draco and he came to the correct conclusions on his own. 

"Help me get to my father," Harry managed to gasp out, his voice hoarse from screaming.

Draco helped Harry out of the bed. He threw Harry's arm around his shoulders and got one of his own arms around Harry's waist and practically carried Harry to the connecting door. Once on the other side, he yelled for Harry's father. "Professor Snape! Dustin needs you. Now!"

Draco pulled Harry over to the couch in the sitting area. He sat down with his back against the arm rest and pulled Harry back against his chest. There didn't seem to be much more he could do besides hold Harry. He wrapped his arms around him and held him tight. 

Severus rushed into the room, took one look at Harry, and asked, "Do I need to get Dumbledore?"

Harry shook his head, wincing as it caused more pain.

Draco was confused, but didn't say anything aloud. The man's son just had an obviously horrendous nightmare and was clearly feeling very ill. Why would he need Professor Dumbledore? Shouldn't they be taking him to see Madame Pomfrey instead?

Severus' eyes narrowed. "Are you positive you do not need to see Dumbledore?"

"Positive," Harry muttered.

Draco watched as his professor stepped over to a cabinet filled with potions. He selected a vial then turned back to bring it to Harry. Harry downed the strong pain reliever and could feel it immediately starting to work and lessen the pain. 

After a few moments, Severus asked, "Is it better now?"

Once again Harry nodded. He seemed to relax a little in Draco's arms. 

Severus glanced at Draco before levelling his gaze on Harry questioningly.

Harry tensed in Draco's arms but also turned a little to look at Draco, before turning back to Severus. "Yes, I think I'm going to have to explain." He tightened his hold on Draco's arms that were wrapped around his middle. 

Severus looked at Draco, but questioned Harry, "Do you think this is a wise decision?"

Harry glanced at Draco again. "I love him. I have to," he said simply.

Draco placed a light kiss at Harry's temple, but stayed quiet. He wasn't sure what was going on, but it was clear that it was serious. 

Severus seemed to agree with Harry's decision because he just nodded once before speaking. "So tell me what you saw tonight," he commanded.

Harry took a deep breath and launched into a general explanation of what he saw in his vision. "Basically it was an intense reliving of certain events from Voldemort's perspective, with a lot of taunting thrown in," he said quietly. "He's pissed off because he can't find me, and finally managed to break through to me tonight, which he hasn't been able to do for a while now. He . . . well, he took advantage of it to torment me—particularly with all the deaths. I guess since he hasn't been able to break through my barriers for so long, with the suddenness of it happening tonight he didn't have time to plant anything new."

"You did not clear your mind before bed tonight?" Severus asked accusingly, already sure of the answer.

Harry kept his eyes downcast. "No, sir," he practically whispered. "And you and Draco both have got after me saying that I've been doing too much and getting too run down lately. I've learned the hard way that you were both right."

"Perhaps you've been stressing over telling Draco?" Snape sneered angrily. "Or perhaps you forgot to clear your mind because you were too busy with him? I said you could get hurt, but this was not the way that I had envisioned."

"This could have happened anyway," Harry protested. He was getting angry himself now. "It's not like I never have any stresses in my life and you know it. I just screwed up again. I got too run down and forgot to clear my mind because I was too tired and fell asleep. It's not like that hasn't happened before either, even if it has been a while." 

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose as his eyes closed tightly. Silence settled into the room, the tension practically unbearable.

Draco's thoughts were swirling. None of this made sense. Was Dustin having visions about Voldemort? And why wouldn't Voldemort be able to find Dustin? Why would he want to find him in the first place? Wasn't Harry Potter the only one who even had a link with the madman? The questions were flying around in Draco's mind. This couldn't be Harry Potter that he was holding. That just couldn't be possible. But who else could it be with a vision like that? And Dustin had been clutching his forehead like Potter would. No, there simply had to be some other explanation. 

After several long, extremely tense minutes, Severus went off to the bathroom and returned with something small and white, which he handed to Harry. Harry clutched it in his hand, but otherwise didn't do anything with it. He didn't even look at it. 

"I'm sorry," Harry said wearily into the silence. 

Severus sighed heavily. "I am simply concerned for your well being."

"I know," Harry said in a small voice.

Severus sighed again. "It is very late. Tell him and let's get this over with."

It seemed that it was time for Draco to get some answers to his own questions.

Harry squeezed Draco's arms one more time before taking a deep breath and sitting up. He slid down a ways on the couch, putting some space between the two of them. Harry glanced at his father. "I'm not sure how to tell him this."

Severus just gave a pointed look at the white case that Harry was still clutching with a death grip in his hand. 

Harry sighed heavily and opened the case. He turned away slightly so that Draco could only see that Harry was bringing his hands up to his eyes. Harry appeared to put something in the case before screwing the caps back on. Harry still didn't look up at first, but finally he seemed to gather his courage, take a deep breath and look up at Draco.

Draco gasped in shock as he stared into the most brilliant pair of emerald green eyes—eyes that he had only seen on one person before.

But Harry obviously wasn't done yet. He turned to his father and gestured to his face. Severus brought up his wand, pointed it at Harry's face and mumbled some complicated spell. When Harry turned back to Draco, there was the lightning bolt scar that he had been half expecting by this point. 

"But how? Why?" Draco spluttered. This just had to be a nightmare. He couldn't be involved with _Harry Potter_ , of all people.

"I'm sorry for deceiving you," Harry said. He looked absolutely wretched. "I know once the shock has worn off, you're going to be absolutely livid with me. And you have every right to be. I was just trying to help protect everyone. I thought I planned for everything, but I didn't plan on falling in love." 

He looked at Draco with those brilliant eyes brimming with tears. "Please, just hear me out at least."

Draco was still in shock, but he didn't plan on going anywhere until his questions were answered. Not sure of what to say, he just nodded at Harry.

So Harry started explaining all that had happened over the summer. 

"So Professor Snape really is my father and, essentially, I really am Dustin Snape. It's just that I'm Dustin Snape with Harry Potter's history. It's not exactly safe to be Harry Potter, and if Voldemort were to find out that Professor Snape's son is actually Harry Potter, his life will be in even more danger. We need you to keep my identity a secret because too many lives besides mine are in danger."

Harry knew he was rambling but couldn't control it in his desperation to make Draco understand.

"But I couldn't just keep this a secret from you forever. I love you and it's not right to keep this from you," he said miserably.

"I realize you probably hate me again now. Sadly, I understand that. I'd hate me, too. I didn't expect to fall in love with you. I haven't liked deceiving you, but I couldn't help myself. I got a chance to know the real you, and I liked you. You were just too much for me to resist." He gave Draco a small smile despite the circumstances.

"For what it's worth, I truly am sorry," he said. He hung his head dejectedly. Draco still hadn't said anything, but he knew Draco wouldn't take this well.

Severus had stayed in the background, but now he came forward. "Draco, I know you are hurting right now, but I need to know if you can keep this a secret. Too much depends on this."

Draco looked up at him and finally seemed to snap out of his shock a bit. "Yeah, I'll keep his damn identity a secret. Believe it or not, I don't particularly want anyone else killed." He glared at Harry. "Although I think I could happily kill you right now, if the whole bloody world wasn't depending on you."

Draco started ranting. "I can't believe I've been dating Harry bloody Potter. What the fuck were you thinking? I'll keep your bloody secret, but I'll be damned if I want to be around you." He stormed out of the room.

Harry finally collapsed and let the tears fall. Severus sat down on the couch and pulled Harry onto his lap and just held him as he sobbed his heart out. Eventually the sobs diminished and Harry's breathing slowed. Severus realized that Harry had fallen asleep, but he continued to sit and hold Harry until morning.


	19. Chapter 19

"Why did I do this?" Harry asked miserably the next morning.

Severus arched an eyebrow. "Why did you do what, exactly? Get involved with Draco? Disguise your identity?"

Harry laid his head in his hands atop the small dining table in Severus' rooms. Severus was currently trying to at least get Harry to drink a cup of tea.

"Yeah," Harry answered to both questions. "I'm lying to everyone."

"You knew the risks," Severus said evenly as he sat across from Harry.

"I know that, and I still know the risks," Harry admitted. "Much as I hate lying to everyone about who I really am, there's still too much danger in actually telling them the truth."

Harry looked up and met Severus' calm gaze. "Was I wrong to tell Draco?" he asked plaintively.

Severus shook his head slightly. "No, I think you were probably correct in informing Draco. He, more than anyone, deserved to know your true identity, under the circumstances."

Harry exhaled the breath he was holding. He wasn't sure that was the answer he'd been hoping for or not. He felt so torn. He hadn't wanted to tell Draco because he'd known this would happen. But on the other hand, he'd been feeling more and more upset as time went on about the fact that Draco didn't know.

At this point, it didn't really matter anyway. Draco knew now and what had to be said was done. 

"I didn't really think it would be this hard," Harry whispered, almost to himself.

"Do you perhaps think that you are too young to be falling in love anyway?" Severus asked.

Harry glared at him for a few moments, but then he sighed. "You would think so, wouldn't you? I'm only sixteen. I should be out playing the field or something," he said bitterly, with an expansive wave of his arm.

Severus arched a brow, but refrained from comment.

"But I don't want to. I don't want anyone else," Harry whinged. His moods were shifting quickly from one moment to the next, and none of his attitudes were positive in nature.

"Who cares if I'm only sixteen? I know what I want and I know _who_ I want. It sounds completely mental, but I _know_ he's the one for me," Harry said. "But why did it have to be him? Merlin, I love Draco Malfoy. I love the snarly bastard that I fought with for five years. But I wasn't supposed to fall in love with him!" Harry exclaimed angrily. "I'm supposed to hate him!”

His mood shifted once again. "So why don't I hate him?" he asked miserably. "He can still be a snarly bastard when he wants to be. Merlin help me, but I even find that appealing now, despite the fact that it can annoy the fuck out of me at times." He snorted. "As stupid as it sounds, it's part of his charm."

He rested an elbow on the table and propped his head up with his hand, as his other hand absently stirred his tea. Staring into the teacup, he suddenly let out a bark of laughter, although it didn't exactly sound amused. "I bet Trelawney saw this coming. “'The love between us will die a horrible death'," Harry sneered.

Severus snorted in amusement. "If Trelawney did predict it, then I must say that things will likely turn out for you and Draco after all."

Harry looked up at him and blinked. He blinked again, staring at his father, before turning his gaze back to his full cup of tea. All he could think of at that precise moment was that he wished it were true. He desperately wanted things to work out between the two of them.

"Do you really think we're too young?" he asked Severus quietly.

There was silence for several long moments. "No, Harry, I don't think you are too young," he finally admitted, but his tone sounded distant.

Harry looked up at him curiously and was surprised to see Severus' gaze unfocused, seeing something in his mind that only he could see.

"I'm not sure how much age itself is a factor in love. I believe it is much more a matter of maturity," Severus said. His gaze focused on Harry again. "You are extremely mature for a sixteen year old, Harry. Far more mature than I ever was at your age, and far more mature than most of your peers. Draco is as well."

Harry attempted to comprehend what Severus was saying. He understood the words themselves well enough, but there seemed to be some hidden meaning in there somewhere that he wasn't grasping. He listened intently as Severus continued.

"You are both very strong and very determined young men. It has been clear to me, as well as everyone else who has seen the two of you together, that you care very deeply for each other," Severus said. "Give Draco some time to adjust. I believe that he will come around."

Harry snorted. "Do you really think so? I'm 'Harry bloody Potter'. 'The Boy-Who-Draco-Loves-To-Hate'."

Severus shook his head slightly. "No, you are not the same boy that he was rivals with. He learned to care for the young man you've become, not the boy that you were. Whatever name you go by, you are still that young man. He is very intelligent and I believe he will come to see that. Give him time to work it all out."

Harry sighed. "I sure hope you're right."

~*~*~*~

Harry had skipped breakfast, successfully avoiding Draco by talking to Severus in his rooms. Now, unfortunately, he needed to get to classes. And first up was Defence Against the Dark Arts with Remus.

Harry slowly made his way through the corridors to the classroom, eyes downcast and avoiding any interaction. He really didn't feel up to talking to anyone.

He tried to focus on anything besides thoughts of Draco. He snorted softly as he turned his thoughts forcibly towards his next class. Some of his worries about becoming Dustin had been concern about being around Remus. At least it had been fairly easy to switch back to calling the man Professor Lupin, as he'd barely got used to calling the man Remus anyway. 

When Dumbledore had informed him Remus would be teaching again this year, Harry had been concerned. Luckily, Remus' sense of smell was only heightened when he was in werewolf form, and the couple days just before and after the change. 

Both Dumbledore and Severus had reassured him though, that it wouldn't have mattered anyway. The charms Harry's mother had put on him had masked many things about him. They had masked anything regarding his true father and his true identity—including his smell. Severus said it was a subtle part of the charm, but that with Remus as one of their friends, Lily would have made it a point to mask his smell as well. She had obviously been very thorough in doing every possible thing she could to protect her son.

As Harry trudged through the hallways, the irony struck him that he was using the _removal_ of his mother's charms now to protect himself, where she had used the _addition_ of the charms to protect him. His entire life had been a lie about who he was. He wondered forlornly if there would ever be a day where he could simply be himself. 

He paused as he stepped into the classroom. Normally he would be sitting next to Draco. He thought about sitting in his regular seat, but wasn't so sure he was actually ready to face Draco yet. In fact, he knew he wasn't ready. Telling Draco had taken more out of him than he had though it would and, even knowing that it was coming, the rejection still hurt terribly.

Harry slipped into a seat at the back of the room that was usually unoccupied. He kept his head down as he got out his materials for class, waiting quietly as the other students noisily trooped in from breakfast. 

Blaise slipped into the seat next to him. "You all right, Dustin?" he asked quietly.

Harry looked up to see the concern on Blaise's face. Looking past him, Harry saw Draco take his usual seat, with Pansy sitting next to him. Pansy shot a worried glance in Harry's direction before turning back to whisper to Draco. Draco seemed to be doing his best to ignore her. He was certainly ignoring Harry. Harry turned his gaze back to his desktop.

"I'm all right, I suppose," Harry muttered.

Blaise snorted. "Yeah, you're as all right as Draco is. Just peachy, you both are," he said sarcastically.

Harry shot him a glare. "Just stay out of it, Blaise."

"What the fuck happened?" Blaise asked. "Draco's obviously mad as hell at you, but he won't say a damn thing."

"I screwed up and that's all you need to know," Harry said. 

"But what could you have done that was so bad?" Blaise asked plaintively. "You two have always got along so well, ever since you met each other."

Harry winced at Blaise's choice of words. That was precisely the problem, wasn't it? In reality, they'd always fought since they first met each other.

"Just leave it be," Harry said wearily. "Draco has every right to be angry with me."

Blaise didn't have a chance to say anymore as Remus called for the class's attention. Harry wasn't paying all that much notice until he heard Remus bring up the Patronus Charm. 

_Oh, fuck!_

Harry really didn't want to deal with this issue right now. The issue of his Patronus was one thing he hadn't been able to figure out a solution to. He'd been avoiding it in the DA so far, precisely because as soon as anyone saw his Patronus, his cover would be blown. He hadn't realized that Remus would be teaching it this year, and he was feeling stupid because he should have known that it would come up in class. Remus was the one who had taught the spell to him in the first place.

Harry was feeling quite ill as he attempted to figure a way out of this. Already Remus had said they would be practicing the spell later in class, after they had finished taking notes about it. Harry's mind swirled as he frantically searched for a solution. His stomach roiled and he wondered if that might be a temporary fix, at least. With the way he was feeling, he might not even need one of the twins' Skiving Snackboxes to get out of class. 

He wasn't even pretending to take any notes and realized he must look like a complete wreck. He knew his face must have gone deathly pale, and he could feel the sweat beginning to trickle from his forehead. He ignored the worried glances from Blaise as he tried to decide what to do. 

Would it be better to simply give up the charade? Draco already knew who he really was and look how well that was going. Everyone else would be angry with him too, once they found out. And wouldn't the longer he waited to tell them simply make them more angry and hurt? Three of the most important people in his life were right there in the room, and yet they didn't have a clue as to where he was. Remus, Ron and Hermione were surely worried about him. 

But if he told them, then he would be back where he started. He was doing this in part to protect them. But he knew he had much better chances of uniting the school as Dustin Snape than he did as Harry Potter. That didn't even take into consideration the fact that the less people who knew, the better.

And Remus, Ron and Hermione would surely question his behaviour. Ron, in particular, would go berserk that Harry was happily a Slytherin and dating Draco Malfoy. Well, had been dating.

Harry exhaled heavily. Much as he knew his friends would likely hate him when they eventually found out, he knew logically that he needed to keep up the pretence as long as he could. Besides, dealing with Draco knowing was bad enough to deal with at the moment. Harry could handle a lot, but this was just too much.

He dropped his head to the desk, his hands fisting in his hair in agitation. He didn't notice the attention the loud thunk brought from the others in the room. He was lost in his thoughts about Draco again.

He startled when he felt an elbow in his ribs. He lifted his head to glare at Blaise when he realized all eyes were focused on him. Only Draco was facing the opposite direction.

"Dustin?" Remus questioned. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Um, no, not really," Harry said feebly. "I think I should probably go lay down."

Remus nodded in acquiescence. "Why don't you head up to see Madame Pomfrey? I'm sure you already know the Patronus spell anyway?" he said, slightly questioning.

Harry grimaced slightly but nodded. Hopefully they would take the grimace as him feeling ill, when in reality he was freaking out about people discovering exactly what his Patronus was—or rather, figuring out that he was really Harry Potter. Harry quickly gathered his things and fled the room.

~*~*~*~

When Harry warily entered the Great Hall at lunch time, he was feeling much calmer. He wasn't any less miserable about the situation with Draco, but he'd regained his determination to stick with his plans. Draco was angry with him, but Harry didn't doubt that Draco would keep his secret. Draco knew as well as he did that there was too much riding on it.

Harry waited only a couple of minutes just inside the doors, trying to ignore all of the stares directed his way. He ducked his head as Draco came in and walked past him without even acknowledging his existence. Blaise and Pansy and some of the others looked at him with sympathy, but followed Draco to the table. They were loyal to him first and Harry recognized and respected that.

Finally Hermione and Ron stepped into the hall and Harry quickly snagged them and pulled them aside. He'd chosen to do this little meeting as such here, mainly because he didn't want to drag it out. Hermione would only question him so much when in front of everyone. He hoped. 

"Are you alright, Dustin?" Hermione asked in concern.

"I heard you had a little falling out with your boyfriend," Ron said snidely. He gave a loud grunt when Hermione elbowed him.

Harry just sighed instead of getting angry. "No, I'm not exactly having the best of days," he said quietly. He went on quickly before Hermione could say anything. "That's why I wanted to talk to you. I was hoping that you could run the DA meetings yourselves this week."

"What about Malfoy?" Ron snapped. "He gonna bail, too?"

"I'm not bailing," Harry retorted, glaring at Ron. "And neither is Draco." 

Hermione and Ron both looked over at the Slytherin table pointedly. Their point was taken when Harry followed the line of their gaze to see Draco glaring icily at all three of them.

Harry dropped his gaze to the floor and ran both hands through his hair in agitation. "Look, Draco and I kind of have a few issues to work out at the moment, but they're personal and have no bearing on the DA," he said quietly. "Um, I don't know if Draco is willing to help out or not this week actually, but I'm not feeling up to it at the moment. I just need a few days at least to get my act together and then, I promise, I'll be back to help run the DA."

"What's happened?" Hermione asked in confusion. "We've never exactly got along with Malfoy but he's been better since you've been around. Things have been going well, I thought. And now he's glaring at us the way he used to again."

"He's angry with me," Harry said, with a quick glance at Draco through his fringe. Yeah, Draco was definitely glaring at the three of them the way he always had for the last five years. Harry sighed heavily. "I did something that hurt him pretty badly. Just ignore him for now the best you can. Please?" he asked, staring imploringly at Hermione and Ron.

"What'd you do?" Ron asked curiously. "Malfoy's always been a git to us, but he seemed to really like you."

"Just drop it already," Harry snapped. He'd already made the decision not to tell Hermione and Ron what the true situation was and just wanted to end this discussion. "Are you two willing to run the DA for the next couple of meetings or not?"

Both of them raised their eyebrows in surprise. Dustin was usually even tempered with everyone. Hermione recovered first.

"Yes, we can do that. Should we continue with the shield spells we've been working on?" she asked.

"Actually, I was thinking everyone should be taught the Patronus spell. It'd be a good time to cover it since Lupin is teaching it right now. Good reinforcement," Harry said.

Hermione and Ron were both nodding their agreement. "That makes sense. You do know the spell already?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, so I'm not worried for myself missing these meetings.”

Harry wrapped things up with Ron and Hermione quickly after that and finally made his way over to sit at the end of the Slytherin table away from everyone else. Elbows on the table, he propped his head in his hands. He didn't even bother putting any food on his plate.

He was feeling downright sick still . . . again . . . whatever. He was using the current estrangement between him and Draco to get out of dealing with the Patronus charm. Harry was truly feeling like a slimy Slytherin at the moment. It was the type of behaviour that he'd always put down the Slytherins for.

He really just wanted some time alone. His father had already threatened him that morning though, and Harry was required to attend all meals and classes despite the situation. 

Suddenly someone grabbed Harry's arm and wrenched him away from the table. 

"Draco, what are you doing?" Harry protested.

Draco didn't bother to answer him, but kept a firm grip on Harry's arm as he dragged him out of the Great Hall and down the corridor to an empty classroom. Harry allowed Draco to pull him along, knowing whatever Draco had to say should be said in private. Thrusting Harry inside, Draco slammed the door and cast locking and silencing charms.

"What the fuck are you playing at?" Draco said furiously.

"I'm not playing at anything," Harry said quietly.

"Then what was the deal with the fucking Golden Trio there in the Great Hall?" Draco sneered.

Harry leaned up against the nearest wall for support and closed his eyes tightly. "I asked them to cover the next couple of DA meetings and asked them to teach everyone the Patronus spell because I can't do it. Everyone would know who I was if I perform the spell."

"All three of you have been fucking playing me all this time, haven't you?" Draco shouted, but Harry could hear the underlying hurt.

"No!" Harry shouted back. "They don't even have a clue as to who I really am!"

That made Draco pause. He blinked at Harry. "They don't?" he asked in confusion.

"No, they don't," Harry retorted. "The only people who know are you, my father, and Dumbledore. That's it."

"Why should I believe you? Why should I believe anything you have to say?" Draco snapped, his anger resurfacing.

Harry slid down the wall and dropped his head on his knees. "I'm sorry, Draco. I really am. But it's the truth that Ron and Hermione have no clue."

Draco's eyes narrowed dangerously. "So you're just taking advantage of our fight and suckering them into covering your arse for you with the Patronus charm, without them knowing what's really going on?"

"Yes," Harry whispered miserably.

"Fuck! I can't believe you!" Draco shouted. 

"I can't tell them," Harry said. "I fucking can't tell anyone or I put everyone in danger. You know how much danger Harry Potter always puts everyone in. I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. But at least if no one knows, they're more likely to be protected."

"Oh, so it's alright to tell me then. I don't need protected," Draco sneered.

"Yes, no, fuck, Draco!" Harry exclaimed. "No, I don't want you put in any more danger from being around Harry Potter. Yes, I had to tell you. I want to be with you but I fucking couldn't keep lying to you anymore. I don't want a relationship based on a bunch of lies."

Draco snorted angrily. "You easily fooled me.”

"I'm sorry," Harry said again, misery evident in both his tone and his body language.

Draco looked down at him in contempt. "I don't believe you," he said slowly, tone low and dangerous. "You're a miserable fucking bastard for pulling this stunt. I've said I'll keep your bloody secret, but you stay the fuck away from me." 

Harry watched silently as Draco angrily left the room, tears beginning to flow unchecked.


	20. Chapter 20

The next several days were absolutely miserable for Harry. They were actually miserable in some ways for a lot of people. It was clear to everyone in the school by lunchtime that first day that something had happened. Normally Harry and Draco were inseparable, but now they were at opposite ends of the table. Harry looked crushed and Draco looked like he would hex the next person that dared to say a word to him. 

And no one was stupid enough to approach him. They weren't sure if they dared to approach Harry, either. Something had obviously gone terribly wrong between them and no one wanted to face Draco's wrath by getting involved. The tension was awful, and became more miserable for everyone as the week wore on.

Unfortunately, Harry was the one that was more miserable than anyone. Except for Draco maybe, but Draco was hiding it a whole lot better than Harry was. The problem was that Harry knew he deserved it. It didn't mean he liked the situation, but he knew it was his fault. And that's what he told anyone who was brave enough to approach him over the next week. "It's my fault. I deserve this." And that's all he would say. No matter how much coaxing, he wouldn't say anything else.

Harry went to classes and showed up for meals, but otherwise holed himself up in his room. He wouldn't have shown up for meals except for the dire threats from his father, who forced him to go. By the end of the week, it was clear to everyone that Harry wasn't sleeping and he certainly wasn't eating much. He would ignore everyone and just stare at his plate and push the food around until he could leave.

Finally, Blaise and Pansy dared to say something again to Draco. Harry may have said it was his own fault, but he looked so miserable. Blaise confronted Draco. "What did you do to him?"

"Bloody hell," Draco exploded. "It's not my fault! Quit glaring at me like I'm the one who's done something wrong."

"What the hell did he do that was so bad, Draco?" Pansy asked. "He looks awful."

Harry had heard Draco, and saw all the glares being directed at the blond. He stood up and looked at them all angrily. "He's right. It's not his fault. It's mine. I screwed up. I deserve every last bit of Draco's anger, so just back off." His voice rose. "If you want to be angry with someone, then fucking be angry with me." 

He looked down at the table and muttered under his breath, "You will all be angry with me too, once you find out."

He looked back up and realized that everyone in the Great Hall was staring at him, and the room was silent. He climbed over the bench and stood facing everyone. He took a deep breath and said, "Look, just leave him alone, would you? He didn't do anything." 

Harry spun on his heel so he could just leave the hall. He didn't make it out of the room, though. All of a sudden he was grabbed by the arm and spun around once again. He was standing face to face with Draco. 

Draco glared at him. "I'm still angry with you."

Harry looked down at the floor. "I know," was all he said. 

Draco reached out and tipped Harry's chin up so he could look into his eyes. "But I've still missed you this week."

"What?" Harry asked. He sounded like an idiot, he knew, but he couldn't help it.

"I said," Draco said slowly, "I've missed you. I'm not happy with you, but I've missed you."

He reached out and grabbed Harry's robe and slowly pulled Harry towards him. In the next moment he was hungrily kissing Harry, and Harry was desperately kissing him back. At least they were, until the cheering started in the Great Hall.

Harry stared up at Draco. "I've missed you too, you know. I never meant to hurt you."

"Can we go somewhere and talk?" Draco asked.

Harry glanced up at his father. His father seemed to understand what Harry was asking and just gave a slight nod. Harry was supposed to be going to classes, but his father wasn't going to punish him if he didn't go this morning. He took Draco by the hand and led him out of the great hall.

"Would you be okay if we go to my room?" Harry asked. "There are already wards up to keep things private." Draco agreed and Harry led the way.

Once they were settled, Draco spoke up.

"So how much of the last couple of months was real?"

Harry shrugged. "Pretty much everything. Aside from the obvious fact that I'm lying to everyone about who I am—I like who I am. I changed a lot this past summer, which just made it all the easier to pull this off. I'm not the same person I was when I left here last year."

He shrugged again. "Honestly, the only thing I really miss is my friends. So yeah, I had extra motivation when I was setting things up for the DA when I wanted them involved, but otherwise everything I've said is true."

"Yeah, everything you've said is true," Draco scoffed.

Harry thought about it. "There are obvious details that I left out, but that doesn't mean that I wasn't telling the truth. Even my supposed background is pretty much the truth. My mother did die protecting me—it just didn't happen this summer. I did just get to know my father. I do miss my friends.

"Pretty much everything I've said is true, Draco," Harry said. "Especially anything that relates to you. I certainly didn't mean to fall in love with you, but I did."

He stood up and started pacing. "Bloody hell, Draco! I know our history as well as you do. I knew I was supposed to hate you. You've been one of the banes of my existence for the last five years. I knew I needed to tolerate you for the sake of this plan, but I didn't expect to actually start liking you."

He continued ranting, "You were supposed to be the evil Slytherin git that I've always known. Well, it didn't work out that way. Just as you got to know the real me, I got to know the real you. As we've got so much closer, it's torn me up inside knowing that you didn't know the truth. I knew you'd be totally pissed off. I knew you'd feel that I led you on once you found out. If it's any consolation, I sure as hell haven't been laughing at you behind your back. I'm sure that's what you've been thinking this week. That I set out to set you up to look the fool. With our old rivalry, I know that would have made sense.”

He was angry, but he was angry at himself. "For fuck's sake, that's so far from the damn truth," he yelled. "Even if I had wanted to, I never would have been able to pull off that type of joke on anyone."

He flopped backwards onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, all the anger drained away again. "I just liked you. You weren't being the bastard I've always known. You were charming and witty. I've always known you were smart and, Merlin knows, you're gorgeous. I know it was selfish of me, but I couldn't resist you."

Draco climbed up onto the bed to sit next to Harry. "You really weren't trying to play a joke on me?"

Harry just shook his head. He didn't know what else to say to explain things.

Draco was silent for a bit before he finally spoke. "You're right. This week I've been thinking this was all some elaborate scheme to get back at me for all the shit I've pulled on you over the years. I thought that toying me with me the last couple of months was just some great bonus you got while trying to save the bloody world."

Harry looked up at Draco and shook his head again. "Yeah, you've pulled some nasty stunts in the past, but that doesn't mean you'd deserve to have your emotions toyed with this way." Harry gave a small grin. "Just because you were a bastard, doesn't mean that I'm that much of a bastard."

Draco had to chuckle at that. "No, I suppose not everyone can be as much of a bastard as I used to be." He was quiet a moment. "But still, you've grown to mean so much to me the last couple of months. Do you know how much it hurt to think it was all some prank?" 

Harry sat up and pulled Draco to him. Draco didn't resist and allowed Harry to wrap his arms around him. "Draco, I knew this would hurt you. It was hurting me knowing that you didn't know the truth. Honestly, in some ways I didn't want you to ever learn the truth because I was afraid I would lose you. But things got so serious so fast and I knew I couldn't keep the truth away from you much longer. I want to be in a relationship with you, but I don't really want it based on lies." He muttered to himself, "I've had enough lies and half truths in my own life to hate them."

Draco turned in Harry's arms to look at him. "What do you mean by that?"

Harry pulled back and stared at the bedspread. Finally he said, "Even if you can adjust and be okay with me being Harry Potter, I'm still not sure that you'd want to be with me. I suppose anyone would be crazy to want to be in a relationship with me."

Draco repeated, "What do you mean by that?"

Harry glanced up at Draco, but returned his gaze to the bedspread. "After the fiasco at the Department of Mysteries last year, Dumbledore told me the full prophecy that Voldemort had been trying to get."

"Well, what is it?" Draco asked impatiently.

"' _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches---born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies---and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not---and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives---the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies._ ' I'm to kill or be killed," Harry said.

Understandably, Draco was shocked. "You actually _have_ to kill the Dark Lord?"

Harry shrugged. "Either that or die trying. Fighting to get to this prophecy is what got your father put into Azkaban last spring. Voldemort, as far as I know, still doesn't know all of it. What I meant by the half truths and lies," he continued, "was that Dumbledore had access to the original prophecy, but he didn't bother to tell me about it until after that whole mess happened. There's more, but this is the worst of them. Well, maybe not the worst," he said thoughtfully. "If he had clued me in on some of the other stuff, maybe Sirius wouldn't have got killed."

Draco was stunned into silence. 

"Anyway," Harry said, "now that you know who I am and you know about the prophecy, you see how selfish I was to get involved with you. I think I've bought myself a little time with this ruse of mine, but I could still easily die in the near future." He looked miserable again.

All of a sudden, Draco spoke up. "You trust me! You actually trust me!"

This just confused Harry. "Yes," he said slowly. "Of course I trust you. What does that have to do with anything?"

Draco was astounded. "It means everything, you idiot!" he shouted. He paused and rubbed his hands over his face, trying to take everything in. 

"You've got a lot at stake with this disguise, or whatever you want to call it, that you're trying to pull off. And actually, you're succeeding. You risked all that not only by telling me who you really are, but also about the prophecy. Hell, you're practically risking the fate of the Wizarding world. If that information gets back to Voldemort, you're totally screwed. We all are. Why the fuck would you trust me with this information?" He was back to shouting.

Harry finally understood. "Draco, maybe I'm a nutter. You've always thought so." He smiled ruefully. "But I do love you and I do trust you. You have every right to hate me for deceiving you, but I trust you to keep the information secret because, despite what you tend to show everyone else, I know you care. I know you don't want to see anyone hurt, and I know you don't want Voldemort to win. You can easily use the information to hurt me personally and I know that, but I also know you won't jeopardize anyone else.”

He took a deep breath. "Draco, I just feel it's important that you know the whole truth. I want to be with you, but it's not fair to you and you needed to know that.” He was staring at the bedspread again like it would give him the answers he was looking for.

"Harry," Draco began to say.

Harry's head whipped up at hearing his actual name, which startled Draco. Harry explained, "I haven't heard my own name since the summer. Well, at least you have never addressed me that way. It just surprised me, that's all."

Draco nodded. "You really have been living a strange life, haven't you?" He went on to say, "Obviously, I think we still have a lot to talk about, but . . . I do want to be with you."

It was Harry's turn to be startled. "Even after all I've told you?"

"Yes, I really did miss you this week," Draco said. "I've been so angry with you, but it was awful not being around you." He gave Harry a grin. "I'm not sure I've adjusted to the fact that I've been dating Harry bloody Potter, but I think I can live with it."

Harry grinned in return, but then turned serious again. "But what about the prophecy?"

Draco studied Harry for a moment. "I know it's serious, but I'm not sure that I'm really worried about it."

Harry looked incredulous at this statement.

"Harry, you've been doing an awful lot this year to prepare to face Voldemort. Hell, you've been working to get almost this entire school ready to face any kind of confrontation with the Death Eaters. It's not like you're just lying down and accepting defeat. This whole ruse just proves even more how determined you are to defeat him.”

He waved his hands about. "For fuck's sake, you've got this whole damn school behind you, and technically no one even knows where 'Harry Potter' is!" he exclaimed. "Somehow you've managed to unite most of this school and you've even got me and most of the Slytherins supporting Harry Potter in just a couple of months."

He looked at Harry appraisingly. "You really are a Slytherin, aren't you?"

Harry smirked at that. "Well, the Sorting Hat did intend to put me into Slytherin first year."

"What?!"

"I asked the Sorting Hat to put me anywhere but Slytherin, so it put me into Gryffindor. Obviously, I didn't argue with the hat when I got sorted this time. In fact, I encouraged it.” 

Draco looked at Harry with a touch of awe. "You really are the ultimate Slytherin, aren't you? To be able to deceive the hat for your own gains. That's just . . . amazing."

"Draco, I think there's probably a lot you never knew about Harry bloody Potter. A lot of my life has been dictated for me. I haven't always had a lot of choice in what I've done, or not done, as the case may be. I really did change a lot this last summer. I spent a lot of time trying to discover who I truly am. Don't get me wrong, I've still got a fair amount of Gryffindor in me, too." Harry grinned. "I can still be reckless and brave with the best of them."

Draco smiled wryly. "Why can I believe that?"

"Yeah, well, so much of my life I've just done what I've had to do. But up until this summer, I never really had a say in any of it. Now, I'm still doing what I feel I have to do, but it's based a lot more on _my_ decisions, not anyone else's.”

He started talking about all the events that shaped his life, and Draco listened. In fact, they spent the next several hours curled up together on Harry's bed, discussing all the things that made them who they were.

~*~*~*~

By the time dinner came around, both boys realized they were starved. Harry hadn't really eaten much all week. They made their way up to the Great Hall hand in hand. When they walked through the main doors, as usual they were the centre of attention.

"So, should we enter the way we left?" Draco asked.

Harry looked at him in confusion.

Draco just turned Harry and pushed him up against the wall to snog the life out of him, amidst the cheering from the room behind them. 

Draco pulled back and smirked at Harry. "I think it's safe to say that everyone's happy we made up."

Harry still looked dazed from the kiss he'd received and just nodded. Draco's smirk simply got bigger and he grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him over to the Slytherin table so they could eat. 

Blaise watched Harry load up his plate and start shovelling food into his mouth. "So does this mean it's safe to be around you two again?"

Harry glanced at Draco and then smirked at Blaise. He returned with his own question, "Do you think it's ever safe to be around Draco?"

Draco glared at Harry and smacked him on the back of the head. 

"See what I mean! It's never safe around him," Harry said smugly. Everyone started laughing, including Draco, and then went back to eating.

Harry looked up to see his father watching him. Harry grinned at him, letting him know that everything was okay. Well, as okay as his life ever was.

~*~*~*~

Harry and Draco were studying in Harry's room. They had each taken up an end of the sofa and had been ensconced in their textbooks for the last hour.

Draco broke the silence. "Angel?"

Harry startled. "What did you call me?"

Draco smiled slightly. He set his book aside and slid across the sofa to Harry, his original question forgotten. He took Harry's book from him and set it aside, as well.

"Draco?" Harry asked, bemused.

Draco kissed him lightly. "I've been doing some thinking, and I've decided that I'm going to call you Angel now."

"But why?" Harry asked. 

"For one thing, this Harry and Dustin thing is already getting confusing," Draco explained with a smirk.

Harry smirked back. "Yeah, well, try it from my end. I still have to remind myself to answer when someone calls me Dustin." Then he grimaced. "I love my father, but it's still quite disturbing to find myself called Mr. Snape."

Draco laughed. "Harry Potter turned into a Snape. That is quite hilarious, you know."

Harry twisted his lips into a rueful grin. "Yeah, I just can't wait until everyone else gets told."

He grimaced again. "Ron especially is going to completely freak. Not only am I Professor Snape's son, but I'm also in love with Draco Malfoy. Think about how you took the news. You at least like Professor Snape and obviously you're okay with me being in Slytherin. Not everyone is going to take that news so well."

Draco looked thoughtful. "I think they'll get over it," he said slowly. "Especially considering you're doing abso-bloody-lutely everything you can to be a guardian angel for your friends."

Harry was startled again. "Is that why you called me Angel?" He shook his head. "I may be trying to protect them, but I'm certainly no angel, Draco."

Draco ran a finger along Harry's cheek. "I think you are. You're certainly gorgeous like an angel." Harry flushed lightly at Draco's words. "You are an angel. I don't know anyone else who would do as you've done to protect your friends and family. You have designated yourself as a protector for each person you are close to.”

"But," Harry tried to say. Draco just placed a finger over Harry's lips so he couldn't speak.

"Not only are you a guardian angel, you've also been working as an archangel would. A warrior angel set to protect a nation to the best of your ability," Draco said seriously.

Harry looked at him curiously. "Where'd you learn all this about angels, anyway? I thought they were just a part of Muggle religion."

"Every Wizarding child growing up, listens to stories about the angels," Draco drawled, some of his haughtiness showing through. "And I still think you're like an archangel."

Harry scoffed at that. "Draco, angels don't work to learn the Dark Arts, among other things. I'm far from perfect."

Draco quirked an eyebrow and got a mischievous glint in his eye. "Ah, but that just makes you my gorgeous Dark Angel. You are quite a vision in black," he said, running his fingers through Harry's silky black hair and eyeing his clothing.

Harry was startled into laughter. "Draco, if we're going by looks, you look far more like an angel than me." He placed a kiss on Draco's nose.

Draco wrinkled his nose just like Harry knew he would, which made Harry grin even more.

Then Draco looked thoughtful again as he cocked his head to the side to look at Harry. "I know you are far more aware of your appearance than you used to be, but I don't think you realize quite the impact you really have on others."

"What are you prattling on about, Draco?" Harry scoffed.

Draco shook his head, trying to figure out how to explain what he saw to Harry. "Harry," he began, "you are gorgeous, but it goes beyond just your new physical appearance. Your new features, your clothes, your hair, just the overall grace that you move with now, all make you one very delectable creature."

Harry smirked. "Oh, so I'm delectable now, huh?" He nuzzled Draco's neck for a few moments and made Draco shiver before Draco shoved him back.

"Stop that! You're distracting me!" Draco exclaimed. "Yes, you're delectable and I think you know it," he accused.

Harry gave him a cheeky grin. "I do my best to please you." He ran his hand lightly up and down Draco's thigh.

Draco closed his eyes. "You please me very well," he whispered. "But you're distracting me again!" Draco's eyes snapped open again.

"This conversation is getting out of control, if you ask me," Harry said, smirking. "I would much rather be actually pleasing you."

"Harry Potter or Dustin Snape, or whatever you want to call yourself, I'm trying to be serious here," Draco said, sitting back and putting his hands on his hips.

"So am I," Harry said lasciviously.

"Merlin," Draco moaned, closing his eyes again and trying to gain some semblance of control. When he opened his eyes again, he stared hard at Harry.

"You really have no clue about the aura you exude, do you?" Draco asked. 

Harry rolled his eyes, but Draco just shushed him with his next words. "You practically glow with a sense of peace about you. You inspire trust from anyone you talk to. You virtually shine with goodness." Draco softened and his next words were spoken quietly. "You really are an angel, love."

Harry's breath hitched with the love and intensity shining from Draco's eyes. He had no idea what to say, so he just said the only thing he could. "I love you, Draco."

Draco smiled softly. "I love you, too, Angel." Then his smile grew wicked. "You can ravish me now."

At those words, Harry lunged forward and pushed Draco back down onto the sofa and began ravishing him, as requested.


	21. Chapter 21

Harry and Draco were again lounging at either end of the sofa in Harry's room, and both were supposedly reading. Harry, however, was sidetracked when Suziana got his attention.

“ Young master, you are able to speak freely now in front of your mate, correct?”

Harry glanced up at Draco. He'd told Suziana how he'd made up with Draco, but he wasn't sure how Draco would feel about him talking to a snake. Now that Draco knew who he was, it wasn't like he didn't know Harry had the skill. It was actually because of Draco that he'd discovered that he had the skill in the first place.

He looked back down to his wrist.

“You are correct, Suziana. I guess we will find out now how he feels about it. You are welcome to come out and visit for a bit.”

He watched Draco as Suziana came slithering out from under the sleeve of his robes. She worked her way up Harry's arm and across his chest to slide around his neck. She lifted her head high above Harry's shoulder to see Draco better. 

Draco had looked up in surprise at the sound of Harry hissing. He'd obviously forgotten about Harry being able to speak Parseltongue. He'd seen Harry with the snake all the time, but there hadn't been even a hint of any talk between the two of them that he'd seen.

“So now that he knows about my true identity, does he meet with your approval, Suziana?”

“May I go smell him, young master?”

“Let me ask him first.”

He switched back to English. "Suziana would like to smell you. Is that all right?" he asked hesitantly. He wasn't sure how Draco was taking this, and it was admittedly an odd question. Draco's eyes were looking a bit glazed, but he didn't exactly look fearful of him. Certainly not like he had back in second year when everyone had looked at him with fear in their eyes.

Draco just gave a quick, jerky nod.

Harry turned his attention back to Suziana. “He said you may, but he's looking kind of odd. I'm not sure if he's afraid of you, or if he's afraid of hearing me talk to you in your language. Just don't move too fast around him, okay?”

“I will be slow so as not to startle him, young master.”

Harry and Draco both watched the silver snake slide back down Harry's chest and across the length of sofa over to Draco. She slithered across Draco's thigh and up his chest to settle across his shoulders. She flicked her forked tongue out to taste his skin and Draco shuddered at the touch.

“Suziana! You aren't supposed to scare him!”

“I don't think he is scared, young master. I smell no fear on him.”

“Well then, what do you smell?”

Harry was looking between her and Draco confused now.

"Draco, are you okay?" he asked before Suziana could answer his question. "You're not scared of Suziana, are you?"

"Um, no," was all Draco managed to say.

"Oh. So does that mean that my speaking Parseltongue is bothering you? I'm used to talking to her when I'm alone or when I'm around my father sometimes. I can't talk to her around anyone else. If it bothers you, then I can just not do it when you're around." He was rambling and he knew it. He finally stopped himself and looked down at the sofa. 

"Um, I don't mind," Draco got out, but his voice sounded off a bit. 

Harry looked back up, bemused by this. He couldn't figure out what was going on. “Suziana, I think it's time you came back.”

He watched as Draco shuddered again, and Suziana started making her way back over to Harry.

“Yes, young master.”

“Are you sure he doesn't smell of fear? Something isn't right.”

“No, young master, he does not smell of fear. He smells of lust. I think he likes the sound of the snake language.”

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. “Are you sure?”

“You could ask him yourself, young master.” 

“Why don't you go visit your tank or go hunt or something?” 

“Yes, young master. I smell lust on you now, too.”

Harry let out a burst of laughter, which startled Draco.

“Just go away for now, Suziana.”

“Yes, young master. I will stay out of the way so that you can be with your mate.”

As Suziana slithered away, Harry looked back over at Draco. Harry had been watching for fear or rejection when he'd begun talking to Suziana. He hadn't been thinking to look for lust. But now, with a new perspective, he could see the desire in Draco's lightly glazed eyes.

Harry crawled across the sofa to lie across Draco.

“Do you like the sound of me speaking in snake language, Draco?”

With Harry this close, speaking this way, Draco could do nothing more than close his eyes. He bit his lip to keep back a moan.

Harry switched back to English. "I repeat, do you like the sound of me speaking in snake language, Draco?" Harry whispered seductively.

Draco opened his eyes to stare at Harry. Draco swallowed. "I thought you wearing a snake made you sexier. Do you know how erotic it is to listen to you actually talk to that snake?"

"Suziana said that you smelled like lust. She thinks you like the sound of the snake language," Harry practically hissed, even though it was understandably English.

Draco flushed slightly. "Merlin, I think it was just a shock. I haven't heard you do that since second year."

"Don't feel bad," Harry said, "When she came back to me, she said I smell like lust now, too. That's why she's left us alone."

Harry laughed at the look of surprise on Draco's face. 

"Yes, my snake left us alone so that I could be with my mate.”

"I can't believe I'm turned on by hearing you speak Parseltongue," Draco muttered as he buried his face in Harry's neck.

"I never thought about it before, but I do like the idea of being erotic for you," Harry whispered into Draco's ear. He felt another shudder flow through Draco's body. 

Harry sucked the lobe of Draco's ear into his mouth, and then slid his tongue along the edge. He slowly moved his lips lightly along Draco's neck, exploring with light kisses. He found the sensitive spot pulsing with Draco's heartbeat and sucked the tender skin into his mouth. Pleasure spread through Harry as he heard Draco whimper lightly. It felt so good to please Draco. 

Harry moved to cup Draco's face in both his hands, gazing down into those silver eyes glazed with lust for him. He leaned forward to place a kiss on Draco's forehead, then each cheek, a kiss to each eye and the tip of Draco's nose. He placed a kiss on each corner of Draco's pink lips, and then slid his tongue along the full bottom lip, savouring the taste. As he sucked Draco's bottom lip into his mouth, Draco groaned deep in his throat and finally reached up to the back of Harry's head to pull him down so that he could kiss him properly. 

Harry released his own groan into Draco's mouth as Draco's tongue met his own. Their tongues began their own mutual exploration of each other's mouths, and the sensations were quickly overwhelming them. 

Harry pulled back, panting for breath and gazing into those silver pools once again. "I want you, Draco," he said huskily.

Draco gasped and closed his eyes tightly for a moment before opening them again. "Yes," he whispered.

It was Harry's turn to close his eyes briefly. He kissed Draco again gently. "I didn't want to take anything any further when you didn't know who I actually was. It didn't seem right." 

He stared down at Draco, who seemed to be holding his breath. "But Merlin, it just feels so right with you."

Draco released the breath he was holding and pulled Harry's head back down to his own for a passionate kiss. When he released Harry again, they were both panting heavily. "It does feel very, very right," Draco gasped.

Harry climbed off of Draco and stood up next to the couch. He held a hand out to Draco to help him up, then pulled him over to the other side of the room where the bed was. 

Without warning, Draco was looking uncharacteristically unsure. "Angel, I . . ."

"What's the matter?" Harry asked, frowning. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"No," Draco protested quickly. "It's just I've . . . well . . . "

Harry looked at him with understanding all of a sudden, and pulled Draco back into his arms. "You want to know what I want right now?" Harry asked, his tone low and seductive.

Draco looked like he couldn't decide whether he should be wary or totally turned on by Harry's question. Slowly he nodded.

Harry placed light kisses along the length of Draco's neck, working his way up to nibble at Draco's ear. "I want you to fuck me, Draco."

Draco gasped at Harry's words and the warm breath ghosting over his ear, and his grip tightened on Harry's waist. 

Harry continued speaking seductively in Draco's ear, interspersing his words with little nips and kisses. "I want you to watch me prepare myself for you. Then I'm going to get on my hands and knees and offer myself to you. I want to feel your hard cock slide into me, slowly filling me and claiming me. I want to be completely yours, Draco."

Draco groaned deeply, Harry's words and voice filling him with an erotic anticipation he hadn't quite expected. "Oh gods, Angel. Do you know what you're doing to me?"

"I know what I want you to do to me," Harry said, instead of answering Draco's question. "Once your hard cock is buried deep inside me, I want you to start fucking me—hard." Harry emphasized his words with a thrust of his hips, eliciting moans from both of them.

"I want you to shift your position until you're hitting my prostate with every hard stroke. I'll be seeing stars when you do that."

"St-stars?" Draco asked, stumbling over the single word when Harry nipped hard at his tender skin.

"Oh, yeah," Harry said, his tone almost dreamy. "You're definitely going to be making me see stars." His tone shifted to one of promise. "You'll understand better later when we switch positions. I'll make you see stars, too."

Harry gently pushed Draco away. "Strip down and sit at the end of the bed, love."

"You know, you can be awfully demanding sometimes," Draco said, smirking at Harry, his confidence returned.

Harry quirked a brow. "What's your point? You're usually more demanding than I am."

"I'm a Malfoy. By rights I'm supposed to be demanding. And I'm certainly not supposed to be taking orders from anyone," he declared.

Harry shook his head, rolling his eyes at Draco. "Are you really enjoying slowing things down by arguing with me?" he asked, already half out of his clothes.

Draco stared at him for a moment. "Good point." After that, Draco quickly shed his clothing and sat comfortably at the end of the bed like Harry had asked without any more argument.

Draco watched with interest and ever growing desire as Harry settled himself in at the head of the bed, stripped of all his clothes. Draco eyes glazed silver, feasting on the display before him.

Harry planted his feet flat on the bed, knees bent and spread wide. With a pillow placed under his hips, he was completely exposed to Draco. Fingers lubed, he stretched his hand down to probe at his own entrance, eyes focused on Draco.

Harry couldn't keep back the moan escaping his lips as his finger slipped inside. Sliding gently in and out a few times, he quickly added a second finger. He scissored his fingers, gently stretching himself, eyes shifting downwards to Draco's hard cock. Harry quickened his movements, anxious to feel Draco inside him.

He didn't exactly have a problem showing Draco what to do by example, and the look of intense concentration and lust on Draco's face was admittedly a huge turn on. But still, what he really wanted was to have Draco filling him and pounding him into the mattress.

Harry intentionally brushed his fingers against his prostate, his eyes rolling as he let loose a keening cry. He swiftly added a third finger, stretching himself quickly now, desperately needing Draco.

"I need you so badly," Harry moaned.

"Do you realize how hot you look?" Draco asked, his breathing heavy.

Harry groaned and moved suddenly. Snatching up the lube again, he quickly stroked Draco a couple of times, effectively smearing the lube. Draco had inhaled sharply at Harry's first touch and exhaled heavily as Harry's touch left again.

Harry turned and was on hands and knees within moments, waiting impatiently for Draco to fill him and claim him. 

"Fuck me now," Harry commanded.

Draco didn't need to be told twice, and certainly wasn't arguing with Harry's demanding attitude now. Vaguely remembering Harry's words from earlier, Draco slid in slowly until he was completely buried inside Harry.

"Wait a second," Harry said, panting heavily.

"I never imagined it would be so incredibly tight like this," Draco said, panting hard himself. He could feel Harry slowly relaxing around his cock, but it sure as hell didn't diminish the delicious tightness that was threatening to consume him.

Harry pushed back against Draco, urging him to move. Draco began pulling out and sliding back in slowly at first, still clearly not wanting to hurt Harry. Harry just kept shifting his hips lightly with each gentle thrust until he suddenly cried out.

"Stars, Angel?" Draco asked, thrusting to hit the same spot.

"Oh, yessss," Harry hissed in answer. "More, Draco. Pleassse harder."

It wasn't Parseltongue, but the hissing sounds escaping from Harry's lips shot straight to Draco's cock, regardless. 

"Oh gods, Angel, your tattoo," Draco moaned.

Harry just shook his head in confusion, his mind hazed over with pleasure and not comprehending. 

"Your tattoo," Draco gasped. "The snakes. They slither around each other faster, the faster we move."

“Does that turn you on?”

"Say some more!"

Draco began thrusting harder and faster, hands gripping Harry's hips tightly, eyes unable to focus on one thing for long. He'd watch the twining snakes, before flicking down to watch his cock slamming into Harry's arse. Then silver eyes would flick upwards past the snakes on Harry's lower back to look at Harry. Harry's head had dropped to the pillows and his head was turned to the side. His face was twisted in passion, Parseltongue periodically pouring from his lips. Draco wondered vaguely if the Parseltongue was as incoherent as the English Harry was interspersing it with.

Harry shifted so he could grasp his erection, pulling strokes matching Draco's speed. 

"Draco, oh, I'm . . . " Harry's words shifted to an incoherent cry as he climaxed. 

Draco shouted out as he felt Harry's muscles contract rhythmically, and shot his own release deep inside Harry.

After a few seconds, Harry collapsed to the bed, causing Draco to fall on top of him. Other than that, neither moved for several minutes, feeling extremely lethargic now.

Eventually, Draco shifted to the side and muttered a couple of spells to clean them and the bedding, before pulling Harry into his arms.

"Angel?"

"Yeah?"

"Why the fuck have we waited so long to do that?"

Harry lifted his head to look at Draco, startled into laughter. He shifted in Draco's arms so he could look at Draco if they were going to do the pillow talk thing. This was a side of Draco he hadn't expected, but he highly enjoyed it.

"Because if we'd done that before you knew who I really was, you would've killed me once you found out," Harry said, smiling.

Draco shook his head slowly. "Maybe," he said thoughtfully. "But if I'd known how that would feel, I may not have waited a whole fucking week to actually talk to you to try to sort things out."

Harry smirked at him. "Just wait. You haven't even felt it from the bottom yet."

Draco's eyes widened. "This gets even better?"

Harry shrugged. "Not necessarily better, but it can sure as hell rival the pleasure of being on top."

Draco looked at him curiously. "How exactly did you gain your experience with boys? You said Severus had to rescue you from your relatives at the beginning of the summer and then you spent the rest of your time there. You've been with me since we got back to school. But I don't exactly remember you being very . . . "

"Sexually active?" Harry suggested.

Draco nodded. 

"I wasn't," Harry said with a rueful smile. "Everyone knows of my disastrous date for the Yule Ball. I was forced to get a date because I had to dance the first dance—all because of the fucking Triwizard Tournament. I kinda had a thing for Cho last year, but that was a complete disaster from start to finish, too."

"Did you have sex with her?" Draco asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Jealous?" Harry quipped.

"Not exactly," Draco said. "We couldn't even stand each other then. You're mine now, though," he growled.

Harry kissed him lightly on the end of his nose. He loved it when Draco scrunched his nose up when he did that. "You have nothing to worry about now, love," he said softly. 

Then he grinned. "Besides, there's still plenty of Gryffindor in me. You know, loyal to the end and all that jazz."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Who would have ever thought I'd actually be thankful for one of the Gryffindor traits."

Harry laughed at Draco's consternation. "Anyway, I never had sex with Cho. Never did anything with her except for a kiss, actually. Except for you, I've never done anything with anyone at Hogwarts."

Draco was looking at him curiously again. "Then who? When? Because you've obviously gained some experience from somewhere."

Harry shrugged. "Nobody important. Severus didn't come and rescue me from my relatives until a couple weeks into summer. I used my Invisibility cloak and my Firebolt to sneak out most days, and many nights, during those two weeks. I wanted to change my looks and ran into a group of friends at this Muggle store where I bought most of my clothes."

"So you shagged them?" Draco asked incredulously, eyebrows raised.

"Um, well, kinda," Harry admitted. "See, I had decided that I wanted to take control over my life. Part of that was changing my style and finally getting rid of all my cousin's hand-me-down clothes. Part of it was also that I knew that, with the prophecy, I had a good chance of dying. I hadn't had any experience with girls and was damned if I wanted to die a virgin."

He paused and looked at Draco, trying to determine if Draco really wanted to hear all this or not. Draco appeared to be interested, and didn't appear to be showing any jealousy, like he had at the mention of Cho. Harry wasn't sure if it was his reassurances or simply Draco's curiosity that was tamping down Draco's possessive streak.

"Anyway, they were quite helpful. In more ways than one. They spent hours helping me shop and making me over. And then, well, I ended up learning about more than just clothes." 

"An awfully friendly little group," Draco drawled.

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, they were quite open. I got more experience than I had originally bargained for actually, but when they suggested I try sex with a boy, I didn't exactly argue," he said with a wry smile. "I saw them quite a bit during those two weeks, but I never really even got to know them that well."

Draco snorted. "You are really a piece of work, aren't you?"

"Why?" Harry protested.

"Using them to lose your virginity was quite the Slytherin thing to do," Draco said. "Yet I still say you left Hogwarts last spring very much a Gryffindor."

Harry shrugged. "True enough, but they knew they were being used and didn't have a problem with it." 

He kissed Draco lightly. "So are we done with this discussion now?"

"Why? Did you have something else in mind?" Draco smirked.

Harry smirked back. "Yeah, it's your turn to bottom now."


	22. Chapter 22

Harry came into his father's sitting room and flopped down on the sofa, relaxing.

"You know," he stated, "I think I may be doing better now that I'm not afraid of being kidnapped, tortured and killed at any moment." He gave a wry chuckle. "It's amazing the difference that makes. I know I've got more going on this year than I ever have before, but I don't have the weight of Harry Potter and his fame hanging over me."

Severus looked at him and was forced to agree. His son seemed to be thriving this year. His every movement seemed to speak volumes of his confidence, power and abilities. Severus had been correct before when he had told Harry that when he spoke, people sat up and listened. Harry was open and friendly with people, but woe becomes anyone who got on his bad side. 

Not only was Harry a force to be reckoned with, but he had also become a leader in Slytherin house beside Draco, and was quickly gathering a following throughout the entire school.

And the fact that Draco was now Harry's boyfriend was mind boggling to Severus. The two boys had been rivals for the last five years and now they were in a relationship together? It just didn't seem possible. But, for whatever reason, Draco did seem to be able to ground Harry like no one or nothing else could. Harry was always more relaxed in Draco's presence, no matter what he was doing or what was going on. Draco seemed to help Harry's self worth in a way that Severus could not.

But Severus could admit now that he himself had been helping Harry more than he had realized at first. Severus helped Harry gain confidence in himself and his abilities, and Harry was actually thriving. Severus was still providing many hours of extra tutoring, and Harry soaked up whatever skills and knowledge that Severus was willing to bestow upon him.

Somehow Harry had even regained his friendships with Ron and Hermione that he had thought he would be losing this year. Severus knew that it wasn't the same for Harry, but the friendships were there and he could still laugh and talk with them on a regular basis. 

The more Severus thought about what Harry had said, the more he had to wonder if the threat of being 'Harry Potter' was what was actually making the difference in Harry's life. Harry now had a father, a boyfriend and friends who loved him. Somehow, Severus knew that that was what was making the true difference in Harry's attitude. 

"Harry, come here," Severus said, holding out his arms, indicating that Harry should come sit on his lap. Harry came readily and snuggled up to his father. Severus wrapped his arms around Harry and held him tight.

"I don't think it would matter much now if your name was Harry Potter or Dustin Snape. Even as Dustin Snape, you have too much going on that a sixteen year old boy should ever have to deal with." He lifted Harry's chin so he could look into Harry's eyes. "Harry, you have people behind you, no matter what your name is. I love you, Draco loves you and your friends love you. I think you would be doing better now even if you had 'Harry Potter's' responsibilities and fame crash back down on you tomorrow."

Harry swallowed audibly and his eyes shown with tears. "I love you too, Father." He buried his face in Severus' robes. 

Severus rubbed Harry's back to soothe him. "You do realize that you still have 'Harry Potter' hanging over your head, don't you? The only real difference is that the threats are hidden from almost everyone else. You are actually still dealing with it all. You are just handling it better now because you finally have people in your life who love you for who you really are."

Harry nodded into Severus' chest but didn't say anything. 

Severus thought about it. "Actually, you have added more weight to your shoulders, considering that you are now bearing the responsibilities of Dustin Snape as well as Harry Potter. Although, being Dustin Snape may tend to make you more infamous rather than famous," he said wryly.

Harry laughed and looked up again. This time his eyes weren't shining with tears, they were shining with mirth as he said, "Yeah, I must admit, it's been a challenge for me to overcome _your_ reputation with the students."

"Ah, but whether you are acting as Harry Potter or as Dustin Snape, you seem to enjoy a good challenge," Severus said with amusement.

Harry just laughed again and had to agree.

~*~*~*~

Harry snuck up behind Draco and twined his arms around his waist. "Hey," he whispered in Draco's ear.

"Hey, Angel," Draco purred as he twisted in Harry's arms to face him. "I've been searching all over the school for you."

Harry had leaned in to lick a trail up Draco's neck from his collar bone to his ear where he began to nibble. "I'm here now. What would you like to do?" He found a spot below Draco's ear that made Draco whimper and he began to suck at the tender flesh while his hands reached under Draco's shirt and began to rub enticing circles on Draco's back. 

Draco moaned lightly as he tilted his head to give Harry better access and reached his hands up to twine his fingers through Harry's silky hair. Harry continued with his ministrations, licking, kissing, sucking and nibbling Draco's neck. Eventually the trail of kisses led to Draco's mouth, where he ran his tongue along Draco's lips before Draco opened his mouth to let Harry in. Both boys moaned as their tongues met, sliding against each other and duelling for dominance in each other's mouths. It was wet, sensual, and it felt absolutely glorious. 

Draco realized that Harry tasted like scotch and finally understood that Harry must have been with his father all this time that he'd been looking for him. Eventually they eased up and slowly let their lips part.

Draco smirked. "That's one way to tell me that you've been with your father while I was looking for you," he drawled.

Harry smirked back at him. "I take it that I must taste like scotch at the moment then."

"Not that it's a problem, but yes, you do. It does make it easy for me to figure out when you've gone to see your father."

Harry laughed. "I never thought about it that way before," he said with amusement ringing in his voice. 

He went back to kissing his way down Draco's neck. "So were you looking for me for any particular reason, or can we go off to my room now?" he mumbled close to Draco's ear.

Draco shivered. "You've got to quit distracting me," he said breathlessly, but he didn't sound very convincing. Harry didn't see any real reason to stop, so he went back to nibbling the spot he'd found so enticing earlier. 

"Angel," Draco sighed, finally pushing Harry away. 

"What?" Harry whinged. "I want you."

"I want you, too," Draco said. "Unfortunately, Blaise needs to talk to you. He's the reason why I've been looking for you."

Harry ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Obviously whatever was going on, it was important. "Okay," he sighed. "What's going on then?"

"Blaise got a letter from his father. It sounds like he's being told that he will receive the Dark Mark over Christmas break," Draco explained. "I think several of them are worried now. Somehow you've worked them all over to your side, but they still have to deal with their parents. No one had expected to have to deal with this problem until at least the summer. I'm not sure you can really do anything about the Dark Mark, but hopefully you can at least help calm Blaise down."

Harry was lost in thought as they walked to the Slytherin common room. He wasn't sure if there was anything he could do, either. There had to be some way of preventing it, though. He'd worked hard to get these students to think for themselves and make their own decisions. Of course, he gave them plenty of valid reasons to switch sides, but in the end, the choice had been theirs to make. He didn't want them to have to switch back because of a lack of choice due to their parents.

He needed to either be able to keep them here at the school without arousing suspicion, or else get Voldemort to stop his plan for marking the students now. But how was he supposed to be able to do either of those things? He still wasn't sure what he was going to say by the time they got back to the Slytherin common room. This was going to be a touchy situation, especially since his own father was a Death Eater.

As they came through the entrance, Harry saw the group that was congregated in front of the fireplace. Several of the sixth and seventh year Slytherins were talking anxiously. When they saw that Draco had brought Harry back, they made room for them to sit down on the sofa in the middle. They all gathered around Harry like he was about to tell them a story. 

Harry held out his hand palm up, and Blaise gave him the letter he'd received without comment. Everyone waited while Harry read it. When he was done, he handed it back to Blaise. It really hadn't said much, but Draco was right. The implication was definitely there that Blaise was to have the _privilege_ of receiving the Dark Mark for Christmas.

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about it. It was times like this that he could really feel the weight of the Wizarding world pressing down on him. He was grateful when Draco seemed to realize this and turned Harry so he could massage his shoulders. 

And still, everyone else just waited. They didn't really have anyone else to turn to. Dustin had given them hope before, and they could only trust that Dustin would be able to help them with this. So they waited patiently. 

Harry was starting to form some ideas. He'd need help, though. He'd need cooperation from his father, Dumbledore, Draco and even these other students, but his mind was quickly forming some plans that might actually keep the students at school and keep Voldemort under control at the same time. All without arousing suspicion, if Harry could pull it all off. 

Finally Harry sat back and looked around at the other students again. Draco was impressed. Harry had obviously been concerned before, but now he had a look of determination back on his face. In fact, everyone noticed Harry's confidence and even before he spoke they were breathing sighs of relief and relaxing a bit. 

"All right, I realize this is a big problem. No one really wants to go off following a madman around. You guys have already made that decision for yourselves."

He glanced at Blaise. "I know you don't want to be forced to take the Dark Mark. I don't either." Harry and Blaise both shivered at that thought. 

Harry went on, "However, I also realize how much pressure there is from your parents. Honestly, I know a lot of you love your parents and don't want to let them down. But I think, for the most part, your parents are just feeling the pressure from Voldemort. Somehow I doubt that most of them really want for you to join him, despite what they may say."

He glanced at Blaise sadly. "Yes, some of them, unfortunately, seem to have just got themselves in too deep."

Blaise only shrugged half-heartedly in agreement.

"My father hasn't said anything to me yet about receiving the mark." Harry really had to be careful here. "But I don't think my father will insist upon it. He's been very good about allowing me to make my own decisions, but I honestly don't know what he'll say if Voldemort truly insists upon us accepting the Mark.”

Harry brightened. Everyone had been looking extremely dejected again and it was time to give them back their hope. "However, I've got some ideas rolling around in my head, and I think I may be able to solve our problem. It's just going to take me at least a few days to sort things out."

He gazed around the group again. "I've got a question for all of you. Would you mind missing out on Christmas with your families and staying here for the holidays?"

He laughed at their dumbfounded looks. They hadn't been expecting a question like that. He decided to explain just a bit. "If there was a valid reason for you to stay here over the holidays, it could possibly keep you from having to receive the Mark."

Blaise spoke up, his expression miserable. "It wouldn't matter what reason I gave. My father would still insist that I go home. He really _wants_ me to get the Mark."

"Yes, I think I have a solution for that as well." Harry didn't elaborate on that, though. "But I think for many of us, just being able to stay at school would help keep away the temptation of leading us off to follow Voldemort over the holidays. For now, just don't worry about it and let me see what I can do.”

He leaned over and gave Draco a quick kiss and a whispered promise that he would make things up to him later. Then Harry got up and was off to see his father again.

~*~*~*~

Harry slammed back into his father's rooms, not really paying attention to what he was doing. His mind was whirling with all the possible ways he could save his friends from the Dark Mark.

"Harry, is there a reason that you are making such a racket?" Severus asked. 

Harry looked up in surprise, and then glanced back at the door. "Sorry," he said, although he was still obviously distracted as he went over and poured himself another drink in the glass that he had abandoned not that long before. Luckily he had only had one drink earlier, because he downed this one in one shot. 

Severus raised an eyebrow. Something had obviously happened in the short time Harry was gone. He watched quietly as Harry began to pace in front of the fire. He poured himself another drink, thinking he just might need it, considering Harry's behaviour. 

Finally, Harry seemed to come to some kind of decision, because he flopped down into a chair and put his head in his hands. He was still quiet for a few moments before straightening and looking at his father with a determined expression. 

"Father, we have a problem, but I think I've got some ideas that will work to solve them. I'm just going to need some help to implement them.”

"What is this sudden problem?" Severus asked.

"Voldemort seems to have decided that it would be a good idea for his followers' children to receive their Dark Marks over the Christmas holidays.”

"What? I haven't heard anything about this. At least not yet," Severus added.

"Yeah, well, technically it's just a guess on my part so far. But Blaise's father has written him and has implied that he'll be getting the Dark Mark for Christmas this year. I can't see Voldemort thinking that it will be a bad idea. I'd be willing to bet that at your next meeting he brings it up, and you'll be asked to bring me to him during the break," Harry explained. "I'd like to stay one step ahead if I can."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Severus asked sarcastically. He didn't have any clue as to what they could do without arousing suspicion.

"By going to him first," Harry said calmly, waiting for the explosion that was sure to come.

"What?!" Severus exclaimed. "You are not going to receive the Dark Mark from that bastard," he said as he gave Harry a death glare for even suggesting the idea.

"Of course not," Harry said. "I'm going to go to the meeting and head him off, preferably before he gets the idea too firmly implanted in his head."

"And how do you plan to manage that?" Severus snarled.

Harry swallowed audibly before he continued. "I'm going to ask Draco to go with me and, as two of the most prominent Death Eaters' sons, we're going to swear our allegiance to our 'Lord'. We will just stress the importance that we can't receive the Dark Mark until after we leave Hogwarts, because it will ruin our chances of being able to spy effectively within the school."

Severus sneered at Harry. "And is there a reason why you want to place both yourself _and_ your boyfriend in danger, instead of allowing Lucius and I to state this ourselves to the Dark Lord?"

"I'm not happy with the idea of Draco going along, but otherwise, I think this idea will work better if we plead our own case rather than our parents doing it for us. As much as it sickens me, Voldemort will have more respect for us if we are actually there in person to swear our allegiance. And if he actually sees us bowing down, he's much more likely to put off the Dark Marks for all the students.”

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and sat back. He knew Harry had a point, even if he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want his son going to a damned Death Eater meeting. 

"Why do you think Draco should go as well as yourself?" he managed to ask calmly.

Harry hung his head and took a deep breath before looking back at his father. "Because it will carry more weight with Voldemort than if it was just me. You've been under suspicion often because of your close proximity to Dumbledore. Thankfully, Lucius is not under those suspicions. If Draco comes with me, our act will be even more believable."

Harry's eyes had a new fire in them. "And I'll be damned if I let all my friends be carted off to Voldemort to get Dark Marks for Christmas," he said vehemently.

"And what if Draco, or Lucius for that matter, does not want to be a part of your little scheme?" Severus asked.

"Then he won't be involved," Harry said immediately. "There's no way I'm going to pressure Draco into doing something like this." He hung his head down again. "In fact, even though I know the reasons for asking him, I'm not sure I can. He's never had to face Voldemort in person, and I really wouldn't wish that on anyone. I don't really want to put him in danger.”

"And what about yourself?" Severus asked. "Do you really think that I like the idea of you putting yourself in danger?"

Harry shrugged. "I've faced Voldemort before, and I'll have to do it again later. I'm just not prepared to fight him yet. So, in the meantime, I need to do something to protect his followers' children."

He looked back at Severus. "Do you have any better ideas?"

Severus slowly shook his head. "No, although I don't like the idea of you and Draco facing Dark Lord, the idea actually has plenty of merit. You have obviously thought about it and know how the Dark Lord will view things."

Then Severus thought about something else. "If you are too close to Voldemort, won't your scar flare up and give you away?" He sounded almost hopeful to have found a reason that would keep Harry from following through with this plan. 

Harry nodded. "My scar will flare up, but if you give me a pain relieving potion beforehand, I'll be able to manage the pain. Especially with the Occlumency you've taught me, it shouldn't be a problem this time." He shrugged again. "Besides, I'm used to pain and I'm so used to the scar pain that I can cover it if I have to. As long as I'm not sleeping," he added with a wry tone.

He looked thoughtful. "Actually, I'd need the potion just in case he decided to actually touch me in any way. That always makes me feel as if my head will split in half. But even with the potion, it's not going to take that all away. It would be a good test to see how well I can control the pain around him now. And as long as I don't reach for my forehead, even if I flinch he'll just take it as fear of him, which would actually please him. Depending on how well I can control the pain with the potion and my Occlumency, that will help me determine what other precautions I'll need to take when I actually go in to battle him."

Severus looked at his son in amazement. The more he thought he knew his son, the more Harry surprised him. No one should be so used to that kind of pain that they could calmly shrug it off with the idea that they could keep the pain hidden. And to use a meeting with Voldemort as a way to experiment with the pain? Severus understood what his son was trying to say, but it was still unbelievable that Harry was talking so calmly about it. Or that he'd even thought of it that way in the first place. Severus shook his head to try to clear it of the shock that he was feeling. 

"Harry, how can you take this idea so calmly?" Severus finally asked. 

Harry looked slightly surprised. "Because it's something that I can do to help my friends," he said automatically. He thought about it some more. "Father, this would actually be a planned encounter with Voldemort. And a relatively calm one, considering that I don't plan to be battling him this time. The thought of bowing down before him makes me nauseous, but I know that you of all people understand that it's just something necessary that has to be done."

Severus sighed heavily. "Let me arrange a meeting with Lucius and Draco, and we'll see if they want to be a part of this. Hopefully, Voldemort will hold off his next meeting until after we can meet with them and arrange things.”


	23. Chapter 23

The next evening, Draco and Harry made their way to the Whomping Willow and followed the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. Harry had refused to tell Draco anything about the meeting, other than that he needed to speak to both him and his father about something important. Draco hadn't been able to get a thing out of him and was seriously frustrated by the time the four of them were gathered. 

Harry quickly explained to Lucius and Draco everything that he had discussed with Severus the night before. By the time he was done, Lucius looked as if he was carved from stone and Draco looked downright terrified. Harry sat down against the wall and pulled Draco to sit between his legs. He wrapped his arms tight around Draco's waist and murmured nonsensical words in Draco's ear, hoping to ease some of his fear and soothe him. 

Neither boy paid any attention when Severus drew Lucius aside to talk with him privately on the other side of the room. But the men did pay attention to the boys. Severus had seen them together plenty of times, but Lucius hadn't. He'd heard about them being together, of course, but had not seen them interact. As Lucius argued with Severus about the wisdom of Harry's plan, he watched as Harry soothed and relaxed Draco. They were so natural with each other.

Lucius paused in his argument and moved closer to the boys to listen in when they finally began talking.

"Draco, you know you don't have to do this," Harry said. He turned Draco a bit in his arms so he could look into Draco's eyes. "I love you. I really didn't want to have to ask you to do this at all. The idea of asking you to face Voldemort terrifies me." He shrugged uncomfortably, not sure what else to say.

"I know you wouldn't ask if you didn't feel it was necessary, but I just don't know if I can do this," Draco said helplessly.

Lucius observed as Harry gave Draco a gentle kiss. "I may not want you to have to do this, but if you choose to, I have complete faith that you could pull it off." Harry actually grinned at Draco as he said, "You are the Slytherin Ice Prince and a Malfoy. You can easily put on that cold, aristocratic mask of yours to fool Voldemort with no problem."

Draco smirked. "I do that well, don't I?" he said as he put the mask in place briefly.

Harry laughed lightly. "Yes, you do it well, love." He kissed Draco on the nose, which made Draco wrinkle his nose and the mask fell. Harry laughed again. "Obviously, I'll just have to keep my hands off of you around Voldemort, though."

Draco glared at him for that. "At least don't kiss my nose."

Harry kissed it again before turning serious. "I really do think that you can do this. It's scary as hell facing Voldemort, I know, but you just have to push the fear down deep inside. I think it's easier to pull up anger when you're around him and then let yourself feel the fear later, if that makes any sense. Although, indifference would probably be best in this case," he added.

Lucius looked at Harry in confusion. When had this boy ever been around Voldemort? Did he understand him correctly? He glanced over at Severus, who was also watching the boys. Severus didn't seem to think the conversation sounded odd at all. So what was he missing?

Draco had leaned his head back on Harry's shoulder when Harry turned thoughtful. After a few moments, Harry spoke again. "Honestly, Draco, although this would be hard for you, I think you can probably pull it off better than me. You'll have to deal with the shock of actually seeing him face to face for the first time, which will be hard, but at least you know what he actually looks like now. So that's got to help you be more prepared. Me, on the other hand . . ." Harry trailed off and sighed heavily.

Draco turned again and this time he was the one to kiss Harry lightly. "I know. You didn't exactly part on good terms the last couple of times you met, did you?"

Harry snorted. "Now that's an understatement if I ever heard one."

Now Lucius _knew_ there was something amiss, and obviously Severus realized there was a concern now, too. He glanced quickly at Lucius before interrupting the boys, who had been oblivious to their audience.

" _Dustin_ ," Severus said, emphasizing the name.

Both boys started and exchanged glances before turning their gazes as one to Lucius. Harry looked to his father and back to Lucius before burying his face in Draco's neck. 

Lucius spoke up. "What is the meaning of this?" he said, low and dangerous.

Harry looked back up to Severus. "I'm sorry, Father," he said quietly.

Draco also looked at Severus. "I'm sorry too, Severus. We should've been more careful about what we were saying."

Severus looked at Lucius, who did happen to look thunderous by this time, but glanced back at the boys and said, "Yes, you should have been more careful, but I think it will be fine."

"Should I?" Harry asked his father, darting an anxious glance at Lucius.

Severus simply nodded and conjured up some chairs and a sofa for them to get more comfortable. It was going to be a longer discussion than they had originally intended.

Harry settled onto the sofa with Draco and rested his elbows on his knees with his head in his hands. Draco tried to help him relax, and was rubbing soothing circles on Harry's back. It always seemed to help. 

"Merlin, I need a drink," Harry mumbled into his hands.

Lucius raised an eyebrow at that statement, but Severus simply conjured up a table and glasses and summoned one of his bottles of scotch. He poured a glass and handed it to Draco. Harry hadn't been paying attention while he was trying to gather his thoughts. He hadn't planned on having this discussion tonight.

Draco nudged Harry to get his attention and handed him the drink. Harry gratefully took it and downed the glass before passing it back to his father for a refill. When he got it back, he took a small sip and then sat there twirling the glass in his hand. 

Severus and Draco were both watching Harry with concern, while Harry seemed to be lost in thought again, staring into his glass of scotch.

Lucius had both eyebrows raised by this point, watching the interactions between the other three in amazement. _What the hell was going on?_

Harry finally sat back up and squared his shoulders as he looked directly at Lucius. "Mr. Malfoy, I'm sure it's clear to you by now that I'm not who you thought I was. When we've met before, you've always known me as Harry Potter."

"That can't be true," Lucius scoffed. This boy in front of him couldn't be Harry Potter. Could it? But neither his son nor Severus thought that the boy's declaration was odd. He watched as Severus conjured a small white case for Harry and Harry ducked his head momentarily. Then Severus raised his wand and pointed it at Harry's forehead and said an incantation. 

Harry turned back to face Lucius. Lucius' eyes widened in shock. There was Harry Potter in front of him, looking different, but still with those shockingly green eyes and the damnable lightning bolt scar on his forehead. While Lucius was still mentally reeling from this revelation, Draco was turning Harry to look at him.

"It's nice to see your eyes again, Angel," Draco whispered quietly to Harry.

Harry smiled softly and gave Draco a quick kiss. They both turned back to face Lucius.

Severus had still not said a word, but he had calmly poured Lucius a drink and handed it to him. Lucius did the same as Harry had a few minutes earlier and downed the drink before handing it back for a refill. 

Draco's comment finally registered with Lucius and he turned to his son. "You knew about this, Draco?"

"Yes, Father," Draco said. "He decided to tell me recently. I can't say as I was very happy when I first found out, but we've worked through all of that now." He leaned his head on Harry's shoulder, showing his support of Harry. 

"And you are fine with this?" Lucius asked in astonishment.

"Yes, I love him," Draco said simply.

Harry gave Draco a kiss on the top of his head, but didn't say anything. It didn't seem particularly wise at the moment, since Lucius was back to glaring at him.

"Well, Mr. Potter," Lucius sneered, "I think you owe me an explanation. Now," he commanded.

So Harry launched into an explanation of the series of events and discoveries that had brought him to this point. Severus and Draco made a few comments here and there to fill in their parts or to clarify things that Harry had said. Lucius asked a few questions, but otherwise let Harry talk. Eventually, Harry was finished and the room was silent.

Harry was exhausted. It was mentally and emotionally draining to explain everything that had happened, and his reasoning behind his actions. He figured he did owe the truth to Draco's father, but it didn't make it any easier to explain it all. 

With Harry finally done, Draco sat back and pulled Harry to him, allowing Harry to curl up next to him. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry and this time it was Draco's turn to murmur nonsensical soothing sounds into Harry's ear. Draco hadn't interfered with the explanations, but he didn't give a damn what his father expected anymore. Harry needed some comfort and Draco was going to give it. 

Suziana seemed to think Harry needed some extra reassurance about then as well, because she slithered out from under Harry's robes and wrapped herself around Harry's neck. Harry proceeded to have a conversation with her as the others watched.

“Can you speak freely, young master?”

“Yes, Suziana. I've just finished explaining to Draco's father who I really am, so I can speak in front of everyone here.”

Although, Harry did eye Lucius to see how he was taking this. Lucius didn't seem to be bothered, so Harry turned his attention back to Suziana.

“It is good that he knows?”

“Probably. I know he will keep my secrets, and I suppose it's good not to be keeping these secrets from Draco's father.”

“You are still very distressed, young master.”

“It's all right, Suziana. It's exhausting to explain all this, but I'll be fine.”

Harry reached up to stroke Suziana. She really was a loving snake. 

"What was she saying?" Draco asked quietly.

"She just wanted to know if I could speak freely in front of your father because she was concerned about me and wanted to know if I was all right.” 

Draco simply nodded and went back to stroking Harry's hair.

Lucius and Severus observed the boys in silence. It was obvious that their boys meant a great deal to each other. Both men recalled the scene that started this discussion, when Harry had been the one to be soothing Draco.

Finally Lucius turned to Severus. "Your son really is the ultimate Slytherin, isn't he?" he asked in some wonderment.

This statement got Draco's and Harry's attention, and they both laughed along with Severus. 

Harry smirked at Lucius. "That was Draco's and Father's reaction as well, sir."

Lucius looked at the boys thoughtfully. "All of these revelations aside, we are still left with the dilemma of what to do about the Dark Lord."

Lucius directed his gaze at Harry. "I'm not pleased with the idea of my son going face to face with him."

Harry straightened back up. "I'm not happy with it either, sir. But I would be even more unhappy if Voldemort forced our hand and Draco had to get the Dark Mark over the holidays." 

"And yourself?" Lucius raised an eyebrow. This boy seemed to be more concerned about Draco's safety than his own.

"No, I don't want to receive the Dark Mark either. But to be honest, Mr. Malfoy, I could bluff my way out of it easier than Draco could, if it came down to it.”

Both Severus and Lucius exchanged raised eyebrows at that statement. All three turned to gaze at Harry in disbelief.

"Precisely how do you figure this?" Severus asked.

"If my plan doesn't work, and Draco and the others are forced to take the Mark over the holidays, they won't really have much of a way of getting out of it. Draco could just not go, but that would raise a lot of suspicion your way," Harry said with a nod to Lucius.

"I, on the other hand, have an ace in the hole. All I'd have to do is blow my own cover and admit to Voldemort, along with everyone else, that I'd been deceiving everyone. To put it simply, I'd just laugh in his ugly snake-eyed face. I've got Rita Skeeter in my back pocket. I could easily give her an interview giving the grand details about how Dumbledore and I deceived everyone to hide me this year, even going so far as to trick Severus into thinking that I was his son. I'd cover my own arse from receiving the Dark Mark, as well as probably saving Severus' cover as spy, since Voldemort would just see it as Dumbledore trying to spy on his ranks by using him.”

All three of the others were staring at Harry in astonishment. 

Harry just gazed at them all calmly, and then looked back at Lucius. "So, to answer your question again, Mr. Malfoy, I'm not particularly worried about myself, but I am worried about Draco and the other Slytherins who might be forced to take the Mark. If my plan fails, I just lose my cover. Draco has much more to lose if this fails. I would have more leverage with Voldemort if Draco comes with me now, but even if he chooses not to, I _will_ make this work," he said with determination.

"So you will not be angry if Draco does not choose to go?" Lucius asked with evident curiosity.

"No," Harry said with conviction. "And Draco already knows this. I will never try to force him to do something that he doesn't want to do. It's his decision to make."

"I think I will need to re-evaluate my opinions of you after this evening, Mr. Potter," Lucius said.

Harry nodded in acknowledgement. "I've never been the person people thought I was, and I've grown up over this past summer. And please, call me Harry." He frowned. "Or Dustin, as the case may be."

The others laughed at him. 

Lucius actually smiled at him, shocking Harry. "And you may call me Lucius. Somehow, I think you have earned that right with all that you are doing to help protect my son."

Harry nodded again. "Thank you, Lucius."

"Severus, I assume you have gone over this plan thoroughly with your son?" Lucius asked.

"Not as thoroughly as I had first thought, as you've just heard," Severus said, sending a light glare in Harry's direction. "I did not realize there was this particular backup contingency plan, but we have discussed what this meeting with the Dark Lord would likely entail."

Lucius chuckled, "It would seem that your son has had more surprises in store for you."

"Yes," he said to Lucius. "Harry, pray tell, how is it that you have Rita Skeeter in your 'back pocket', as you so eloquently described?" Severus asked.

Harry and Draco turned to each other and smirked. Harry waved his hand towards their fathers as he said, "Draco, would you like to take this one?"

Draco turned and smirked at their fathers. "We haven't discussed it, but I'm assuming that he has Rita blackmailed."

Harry nodded and both Lucius and Severus raised eyebrows. 

Draco’s smirk widened at that. "See, Rita Skeeter is an unregistered Animagus. She can turn into a beetle. I'd say that Harry threatened to turn her in if she didn't quit writing the nasty articles about him. You know, the articles that I was helping her write by giving her information during fourth year," he said wryly.

"Yeah," Harry said to Draco. "Remind me that I still need to punish you for that later.”

"I'm looking forward to it.”

Severus looked back at Lucius with his own smirk firmly in place. "It would seem that it is not only my son who is full of surprises."

"It would appear that you are correct," Lucius said, shaking his head at the boys' statements. 

Lucius shifted his gaze to Draco. "I must admit, I was not pleased when I first heard this idea. I am still not pleased. However, seeing as how your boyfriend," he paused and gave Harry an odd look before continuing, "seems to have his plans well thought out, I'm wondering what it is that you would choose to do now that you've had a little while to think about it."

Draco grasped Harry's hand tightly in his own before answering his father. "Angel thinks that I can do this." He took a deep breath. "And I think I can do this. He will be there with me and so will the two of you." 

He smirked at his father. "It's ironic, but for a long time I thought I would be a real Death Eater eventually. You taught me Occlumency a long time ago, so I'm not worried about giving away anything that way. I know how to keep my masks in place when necessary, and I know my curses. You trained me well for this role." Draco shrugged.

Lucius sighed heavily and nodded once in acknowledgement.

"It also seems ironic that the best plan for not receiving the Dark Mark is to actually face Voldemort, but if that's what I need to do, then I'll do it," Draco finished on a determined note.

Lucius looked at his son appraisingly. "It would appear that you have grown up as well, son."

Draco brightened with the pride bestowed on him. "Thank you, Father."

Harry spoke up again. "Father and I have already discussed that Draco and I will need to have emergency portkeys just in case things do go horribly wrong. Portkeys would become necessary if we were unable to Apparate for any reason, but I have also thought of another detail that should lend credence to the story we're attempting to feed Voldemort." He looked at Lucius. "I think Voldemort would find it appealing for Draco and I to appear in the Death Eater's robes, though the masks would be inappropriate for those who are uninitiated." 

Harry and Draco both muttered, "Thank Merlin."

Lucius nodded slowly. "I think you are probably correct with that assessment." 

Severus was also nodding his agreement. 

"I will obtain two of the robes sized appropriately and send them to Severus for you," Lucius said decisively.

Severus spoke up again. "The plan is for me to take both boys with me to the next meeting. The next scheduled meeting is in two days, unless he decides to call us earlier. We will meet you there, Lucius."

They continued the discussion for the next hour, working through all of the possible details that they could. This was not a mission that any of them wanted to fail.

~*~*~*~

The next morning found Harry facing a different kind of meeting. He needed to speak with Dumbledore to implement the other part of his plans to help the Slytherin students. It would also be something that would work nicely for all of the students to boost morale, and that was the angle Harry planned to promote to Dumbledore.

"Good Morning, Albus," Harry said as he came into Dumbledore's office and made himself comfortable in one of the chairs. 

"Good Morning, Harry," Dumbledore said. "Tea?"

"Yes, please," Harry said. Dumbledore poured Harry tea and Harry sat back relaxed and easy, sipping his hot tea.

"Is this a social or business call today, my boy?" Dumbledore asked with that twinkle in his eye. 

Harry grinned. "It's a little of both actually. I've been trying to come up with some ideas to keep everyone's spirits up. Being prepared for war is good, but all work and no play is no fun."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said with a smile. "May I assume you have something in mind?"

"Well, the Yule Ball in fourth year was fun for most of the students. I was wondering if maybe we could have a New Year's Eve Ball.”

"I think that's a splendid idea, my boy. Of course, it would also keep most students here during the holidays," he added.

Harry smiled wryly. "Yes, I think many of the students would appreciate the opportunity to stay at Hogwarts this year." Still not much got past Dumbledore. He obviously realized the dangers for the Slytherins over the holiday. Hopefully, Dumbledore didn't know about his plans to actually go to a Death Eater meeting, though. 

Dumbledore gazed at Harry over his half moon spectacles. "I think the promise of an informal ball would be plenty of incentive for the students to want to stay at school, but I think I should announce it early to give everyone plenty of time to make their arrangements." He paused significantly and Harry knew what arrangements he was referring to. But Dumbledore carried on. "I will declare it as informal, but I think many of the students would appreciate the extra time to shop for new clothing if they would like."

Harry grinned at this odd conversation. They both knew what they were really talking about, but neither of them was saying anything regarding their true topic. Yet, it was all making perfect sense to the two of them. 

"I'm sure many would appreciate the extra time," Harry said. Then he added with complete honesty. "Thank you, Albus. This will mean a lot to all of the students."

"It is my pleasure, my boy. We all need something to look forward to," Dumbledore said with a smile.

~*~*~*~

That evening at dinner, Dumbledore rose to make an announcement. "May I have just a few moments of your time, please? I have some news that I think will be pleasant for all of you.”

The room became quiet and everyone was looking at the Headmaster, wondering what was going on. Even the professors were looking at him, trying to determine what this news was about.

"As we all know, the Wizarding world is at war. I believe that it would be nice if we all had something to look forward to. Perhaps a special event over the holidays, reminiscent of two years ago, would be nice.”

At that, Severus and many of those at the Slytherin table whipped their heads to look at Harry. Harry just grinned and shrugged his shoulders. Dumbledore also glanced in Harry's direction briefly, eyes twinkling merrily.

"As such, it has been decided that we will have a New Year's Eve Ball this year for _all_ of the students to bring in the new year," Dumbledore managed to say before the room broke out in loud cheers. 

Dumbledore watched the students and allowed them their cheers for a few moments before he waved them to silence again. "This is to be an informal ball, as we did not request you to bring dress robes in your school letters. However, it was deemed appropriate that I should give you plenty of advance warning for this event. This way, you may make any arrangements that you believe necessary." He paused there and many of the Slytherins glanced once again at Harry. 

"I'm sure that, despite it being informal, many of you would like this opportunity to go shopping," Dumbledore said with a smile. To most of the students in the Great Hall, Dumbledore made it sound like the early warning was just so they could shop for clothes. The Slytherins, however, knew what it really meant. Those that really needed to would have time to make arrangements with their families to stay there for the holidays and avoid the risk of receiving the Dark Mark.

Dumbledore was still talking about the events that were to occur over the holiday. "As the time draws near, we will post signup sheets for all those who wish to stay at Hogwarts this year for the holidays. Now, let's get back to eating, shall we?"

As Dumbledore resumed his seat, loud chatter broke out over the hall. Many at the Slytherin table were quiet, though. All of those who had been at that meeting with Harry just a couple of nights before, when he'd said that he would do what he could to be able to keep them from receiving the Dark Mark, were once again looking at Harry.

"How'd you do it?" Pansy demanded.

Harry looked at her innocently. "Do what?"

"You know what," she said, eyeing him suspiciously. "This ball over the holidays. I'm sure you had something to do with it, but you didn't go through your father because he was just as surprised as everyone else at the news." 

Heads were nodding in agreement from most of the sixth and seventh years. 

"So did you have something to do with this or not?" Blaise asked.

"Maybe," Harry said with a sly grin. "Whether I did or not doesn't really matter. What's important is that many of you now have the reason you needed to be able to talk your parents into allowing you to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays," he said seriously.

"I don't really care how you did it," Nott said. "I'm just glad that you were able to do it. You said you would somehow, but I guess I didn't really believe you." He nodded at Harry. "I'm grateful to you."

Harry nodded in return and most of the others said their thanks as well before they got into animated discussions about the ball. Blaise and a few of the others were still looking dejected, though. 

Harry made sure to make eye contact with each of them. "Have faith a little longer." This brought some hope back to their faces.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sometimes it takes a few days for my Angel to work miracles," he drawled.

Amazingly, this didn't bring about the laughter that Draco had expected. He had intended to lighten the mood for those who were still worried. Well, he had lightened the mood, but that was because they were all staring at Harry in wonderment. Draco rolled his eyes again, but no one saw it this time besides Harry.

"They seem to think you actually _can_ work miracles," he whispered to Harry.

Harry smiled ruefully. "It's one of the job hazards."


	24. Chapter 24

The next evening found Draco and Harry waiting on the sofa in Severus' quarters. Currently they were wrapped around each other and engaged in a battle of tongues to see who would gain dominance. And neither seemed to care who won or lost.

This was what Severus saw when he returned to his rooms. He cleared his throat to get their attention, but they just ignored him.

"What, may I ask, are you two doing?" he asked sarcastically. He wasn't really expecting an answer, but hoped it might break them apart.

They did break apart momentarily, so that Harry could answer. "We're keeping each other distracted so we're not stressing about tonight," he explained before he went back to kissing Draco.

Severus rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else. The boys' strategy appeared to be working, so he wasn't going to argue with it. They would be under plenty of stress later. He moved through his rooms, gathering the package from Lucius with the boys' robes and his own robes and mask. Harry was obviously at least a little aware of his surroundings because he blindly held out a hand to Severus to give him his invisibility cloak to add to the pile Severus was gathering. Severus took it and rolled his eyes again. 

Severus also pocketed several potions that could possibly be needed that evening. Several more he lay out on the table in readiness for when they returned. Only one potion he held onto. It was a potent pain relieving potion that would hopefully keep Harry from being in too much discomfort in Voldemort's presence. 

"Boys, it will be time to go shortly. You need to get on your robes so we can leave," Severus said.

Both of them groaned, but they separated and did as they had been told.

Draco looked down at his new Death Eater robes. "Aren't these just spiffy?" he sneered.

Harry looked simply nauseated when he stared at himself in the mirror. Draco realized and came up behind Harry, wrapping his arms around him. "It's okay, Angel. It's not like you'll ever have to wear them again."

Oddly, Harry perked up at those words. "Hmm, maybe they could be useful another time, though," he said thoughtfully.

Draco and Severus both heard those words, and both closed their eyes, not sure if they really wanted to know what Harry meant by that. 

"Let's just get through tonight first, okay?" asked Draco.

Harry seemed to have regained his confidence, and turned in Draco's arms to give him a quick kiss. "Okay," he said brightly. "Are you ready to watch a performance tonight, Father?" he asked Severus in a teasing tone.

Once again, this child was making Severus roll his eyes. It was going to be an extremely nerve-wracking evening. He laid a hand on each of the boys' shoulders. "You two be very careful tonight."

"We will," they chorused, and then grinned at each other.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. It was also going to be an extremely long evening.

He handed each of them a portkey and told them how to activate them. Finally, he had the boys cover themselves with Harry's invisibility cloak and he led them out of the dungeons and on towards the main gates of Hogwarts where they would Apparate to the Death Eater meeting. Before they left, they stashed Harry's invisibility cloak and Severus had Harry drink the pain relieving potion. At that point, there was nothing more they could do to prepare, so they Apparated away.

~*~*~*~

All three took a deep breath, and then walked forward into the room where they were meeting. Severus took a spot next to Lucius and they placed the boys in between them. They stood silently as they waited for everyone to arrive.

Voldemort strode into the room, followed by Wormtail and Nagini. Voldemort's eyes circled the room and landed on the two boys. His red eyes widened briefly. "I think we shall skip the preliminaries this evening," he said coolly. "Lucius, Severus, I think you have something you'd like to share this evening?"

"Yes, my lord," they said in unison. They stepped forward and knelt before Voldemort and kissed the hem of his robes before resting back on their knees, heads bowed. 

Voldemort waved them to stand. "Stand and speak," he commanded.

"Our sons wish to speak with you, my Lord," Lucius said.

Severus followed by stating, "They wish to pledge their allegiance to you, my Lord."

Voldemort waved his hand imperiously, indicating that the two men should fall back into the ranks. Then he commanded the two boys, "Come forward."

Both boys did as their fathers had before them. In unison, they knelt before Voldemort, kissing the hem of his robes before resting back on their knees. They kept their heads bowed as they knelt there. Voldemort did not ask them to rise. He slowly walked around the two boys, taking in their appearance and their demeanour.

Harry and Draco were actually holding up well. They were sitting close enough together that they could feel each other's body heat and the backs of their hands were touching. Harry could feel Draco tremble slightly but otherwise, both boys were perfectly still as they waited. Harry was actually feeling quite pleased because his Occlumency was holding up well against Voldemort, and the pain relieving potion was working on his scar. _So far so good_ , he thought, as Voldemort moved to stand in front of them again. 

"It seems that you both have been taught well by your fathers. You have the correct manners and you even come appropriately attired. This pleases me," Voldemort said coolly. "Young Draco, I have heard much of you and I have always known that you would eventually join my ranks like your father.”

"Yes, my Lord," Draco said clearly, but Harry could feel him tremble again.

Next it was Harry's turn. "Young Dustin, I have not heard much about you, since you are new in your father's life. You wish to pledge your allegiance to me?"

"Yes, my Lord," Harry said. "May I have permission to speak, my Lord?"

Voldemort appeared to be a bit surprised by this. Not many chose to speak to him without being ordered to first. "You intrigue me, young Dustin. I'm curious as to what you have to say. Permission to speak," he said imperiously.

"My Lord, Draco and I both wish to serve you. We have heard much about you and we know that you are a powerful master," Harry began. He'd listened to enough Death Eater meetings that he knew how to suck up to this evil bastard. "We wish to be extra eyes for you at Hogwarts where your enemies dwell. It would be suspicious for us to leave often, but we can give reports to our fathers to pass on to you. We have only one regret," he added in a mournful tone.

"And what would that regret be, young Dustin?" Voldemort asked coldly.

"We are anxious to have the honour of bearing your Mark, but until we leave school, it is not feasible. We have learned that Dumbledore, the old fool, is starting to check all of the students periodically. We would not be allowed to remain at the school and be extra eyes for you if we bore the Mark." Harry laid it on thick. "I'm sorry, my Lord, that Dumbledore makes this impossible for us."

"This is important news. I have been approached by several of my followers wishing to have their children Marked during the upcoming holidays. It seems it will be necessary to postpone those plans." Voldemort turned to speak to Draco.

"Do you agree with everything that young Dustin has had to say this evening?"

Draco answered with another, "Yes, my lord."

Harry was thankful when Voldemort turned back to him. The less Draco had to do, the better in his opinion. And luckily, Voldemort seemed to be more interested in Harry, for whatever reasons. 

Voldemort addressed Harry again. "Do you have anything else to report to me?"

"Only that I have been working to get close to Potter's friends in hopes that I can find out where he has been hidden. I'm sure they must know where he is. I am new at the school, and even though I am from Slytherin house, they have been friendly with me. So far, things are progressing nicely, my Lord.” 

"Hmmm, you have not been with your father long, but he has obviously been teaching you well. Already you have learned what is important. I am very pleased indeed," Voldemort said, his cold voice a direct contrast to his words.

"Rise and resume your position," he commanded them both. They rose as one and slid gracefully back into their positions between their fathers. Both were grateful that the inquisition seemed to be over and that it had gone the way that they had hoped. 

Unfortunately, the evening was far from over. Just like the memory that they had watched from the Pensieve, they had to endure watching various Death Eaters giving their reports. Many of them received the Cruciatus curse when the reports weren't to Voldemort's satisfaction. Both boys managed to keep their masks in place, but it wasn't easy. Harry was unfortunately used to this scene somewhat because of his visions, but for Draco this was all terribly new. 

Harry shifted so that his voluminous robes would hide their hands and he grasped Draco's hand tightly. Draco held on just as tight as they watched and listened to the remainder of the meeting. As the meeting wore on, they were extremely thankful that it was not them being tortured. Finally, Voldemort seemed to be winding down and ready to end the meeting. They watched with bowed heads as Voldemort glided over to them. 

"You do intrigue me, young Dustin," he said once again. "I look forward to meeting you another time." Voldemort reached out and ran a skeletal finger down Harry's cheek before turning and going back to the front of the room. After several more minutes of meaningless drivel, Voldemort waved his hand imperiously and dismissed them.

Draco had felt Harry's hand squeeze his own in a death grip when Voldemort touched him. The second Voldemort said they could go, Draco Apparated the both of them out of there. He wasn't even sure that Harry would be able to Apparate.

The second they landed in front of Hogwarts' main gates, Harry fell to his knees, pressed his hand to his forehead and started retching. Draco dropped beside him and began rubbing his back with one hand and holding Harry's hair away from his face with his other hand. 

A few moments later, Severus and Lucius popped in beside them. They took one look and knelt down beside the boys. Harry was still retching, so Draco explained what he could to their fathers. "He had been able to move so that he could hold my hand during the meeting. When Voldemort touched him there at the end, Harry about squeezed the life out of my hand. He didn't even flinch otherwise that I saw, but obviously that touch is what is causing all this pain now."

Harry had managed to gain control of his stomach while Draco was speaking, "Note for future reference," he said weakly. "Voldemort's touch overrides the pain relieving potion."

"How are you feeling now?" Severus asked, one hand resting on Harry's shoulder in support.

Harry managed to look up at him blearily. "I don't feel like my head's being split in half now. Now it's just like I've been hit with a Bludger."

Lucius looked at him in amazement. "But you showed no sign of pain at the meeting. How did you do that?"

Harry reached blindly for Draco's wrist. "I'm guessing Draco's hand is awfully bruised.”

Both men looked and yes, Draco's hand looked like it had been squeezed in a vice. They looked at the boys in wonder. "You have both done amazingly well tonight," Lucius said.

"Yes, you have, but we'll talk more about it later," Severus said. "Let's get back down to the dungeons. I'll take Harry. Draco, get the invisibility cloak and you can bring your father in with you under it."

"Invisibility cloak?" Lucius questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"James'," Severus said curtly. 

Lucius simply nodded in acknowledgement as Draco worked the cloak around the two of them and they all made their way into the dungeons.

~*~*~*~

Lucius and Severus worked together to get both the boys taken care of in Harry's room. Severus went through the connecting door to retrieve the necessary potions to relieve Harry's pain and heal Draco's hand. Once they were healed, both boys changed into pyjama pants and climbed wearily into bed. They curled up together and promptly fell asleep. They were exhausted after the strain of the evening.

The men moved into Severus' sitting room, but left the connecting door open. Neither would be surprised if either or both of the boys had nightmares tonight. In fact, Severus realized belatedly that he should've given them both some Dreamless Sleep draught as well. But he wasn't going to wake them just to give it to them. He retrieved some from a cabinet in case it became necessary later.

Severus retrieved a bottle of scotch and a couple of glasses from a different cabinet before finally relaxing into his chair. Lucius took the bottle from him and poured them each a drink. They sat there for awhile sipping their drinks and just staring into the fire, each lost in their own thoughts.

Finally Severus murmured, "If I hadn't been there, I don't think I would've believed it."

Lucius understood. "I agree. Both of the boys were amazing. I don't know how they managed to show absolutely no outward sign of pain. With the way that he collapsed when we returned, Harry was obviously in a great deal of pain."

"Draco, as well," Severus said. "He was more worried about Harry upon returning that he didn't even show any signs of pain then until Harry brought it up."

"They pulled it off flawlessly," Lucius said in an amazed tone. "I mean, it is what they had planned for, but I still can't believe how perfectly they did that. Every step and movement they made was in unison. Their bearing and demeanour was perfect. Their voices were appropriately reverential to the Dark Lord. And Merlin, Harry knew _exactly_ how to speak to him. He had the right words, the right praise, the right tone—he had it all down perfect."

Lucius looked at Severus. "Did you help Harry plan that speech? We had only addressed generally what they should say. I didn't think that Harry had practiced an actual speech."

Severus shook his head. "No, believe it or not, I don't think that was a prepared speech at all. Certainly not one that I helped him with anyway, although I'm sure he planned out very well what he wanted to say and how best to say it."

Severus looked back at Lucius. "I think that is why Voldemort was so intrigued, at least in part. We decided against a prepared speech because it would sound unnatural. I also presumed that Voldemort would expect students to sound less eloquent. Harry intrigued him because it was just the opposite. Harry said and did everything perfectly in a manner that Voldemort expects from his followers, but generally doesn't get. Harry has become very eloquent in his speeches. He seems to have developed a talent for being able to speak to someone exactly the way that _they_ need him to." 

Severus shook his head again, trying to make sense of what he was saying so that Lucius would understand. "Harry doesn't even realize that he's doing it most of the time. He just seems to naturally be able to speak to people now in a way that gains their trust and respect. Of course, it was all an act tonight with Voldemort, but with everyone else, he seems to truly care how the other person feels, and he responds to that naturally."

"It sounds like you're saying that Harry has a strongly developed sense of empathy for people that he responds to when he speaks to someone," Lucius said.

Severus raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Yes, I suppose that is what I have been trying to say," he said. 

Lucius chuckled. "Far easier for me to restate than for you to figure it all out in the first place," he drawled. 

"As I said though, Harry doesn't even seem to realize he's doing it. As you saw tonight, it is amazing to listen to him speak and watch how the listener responds." He glanced at Lucius. "Harry did have more experience to draw from though, when he was preparing to say what he needed to tonight."

It was Lucius' turn to raise an eyebrow in question. 

"You know that Harry has a link to Voldemort," Severus said and Lucius nodded. Severus went on. "Well, there is far more to that link than you realize. Harry has watched a countless number of Death Eater meetings and has had plenty of opportunity to study Voldemort."

Severus went on to explain in detail how the two were connected. He explained Harry's visions and the scar pain. He explained exactly how it was that Harry had been able to save Arthur the previous year and how Voldemort had used that information to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries, which had led to Lucius landing in Azkaban the previous spring.

"You know I don't hold that against the boy," Lucius said. "I wasn't happy with the situation, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise. I came to realize that Harry was actually just doing his job, even as I was fulfilling my role."

"I think Harry would appreciate actually hearing that from you at some point. I know that he feels guilty about it now, especially considering his relationship with Draco," Severus said. 

"I will talk to him," said Lucius. "Even if I hadn't already decided not to hold it against him, his actions tonight certainly would have allowed me to forgive him."

Severus nodded. "Both boys have done a major service to themselves and the other Slytherin students who would have had to receive the Dark Mark over the holidays."

They both relaxed into a comfortable silence. Eventually, Lucius stood up preparing to leave. "I really must be going."

Severus looked at him appraisingly. "I don't particularly feel like sneaking you out of Hogwarts again tonight, Lucius."

"So what do you suggest instead?" Lucius asked with interest. 

"I am only suggesting that there is a bed large enough in the other room that we can share for tonight," he said. "Both of us have had a long, stressful evening and I for one am too exhausted to move any further tonight. Would you care to join me?"

"It has been a long time since we have slept in the same bed, Severus. But I find that the idea appeals to me. Indeed, if nothing else, I agree that I'm really too tired to care about leaving Hogwarts at the moment.”

"Then let's retire," Severus said simply.

~*~*~*~

"Harry, Draco," Severus snapped.

Both boys groaned and just snuggled closer together on the bed. 

"Draco, Harry," Lucius demanded.

Both boys groaned again, but this time bleary eyes fluttered open. They blinked up at the two men standing by the side of the bed. 

"Father?" Draco asked. His father really wasn't here. Was he?

"Yes, Draco, I'm still here at Hogwarts. You two need to get up and get ready for classes. I'm sure you would much rather sleep after last night, but you can't afford to arouse suspicion now," Lucius said.

"Out of bed, now. I've got a pepper-up potion that will help revive you and it should help you feel well enough to get through your morning classes," Severus said.

The boys slowly untangled themselves and sat up. Severus gave them each one of the potions, and after that they were able to function well enough to get ready for the day. Once ready, they went to sit on the sofa in Severus' sitting room where the two men were already sitting in chairs waiting for them. 

"Father," Draco questioned, "why are you still here?"

"I wanted to be sure that you were all right after last night, Draco," Lucius said. "It was not exactly a pleasant evening."

Harry also was looking at Draco with a hint of worry. Harry took hold of Draco's hand and lightly brushed his lips over any part that he had injured the night before. "I'm sorry I hurt you, love," he murmured against Draco's skin.

"Harry, my hand is fine," Draco said. "I just . . . " he trailed off as he shuddered lightly. 

Harry wrapped his arms around Draco. "What? Just a guess, but fear of the sick fucker has set in now?"

Draco looked up at him in surprise. Lucius and Severus also raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Harry glanced at the men and shrugged a shoulder, before looking back at Draco. "It's all right to feel fear," Harry glanced back at Lucius again, "even if you are a Malfoy."

Draco also glanced briefly at his father, "But," he started to say.

Harry placed a finger gently on Draco's lips to stop him from speaking. "No, your fear makes sense and I would be more worried if you weren't feeling that now. You couldn't have been more perfect and you did exactly as I had asked you to. You didn't show a hint of fear last night in front of Voldemort. You didn't even show any of your pain when you helped me deal with my pain, which I know took a lot for you to do." Harry kissed Draco's hand again. 

"Your behaviour and attitude was just what Voldemort expected. You set aside your fear until you could feel it as I had suggested when we were making these plans." Harry turned Draco so he could look into his eyes. "Draco, the fear is all right as long as you don't let it overwhelm you."

"Draco," Lucius said calmly, "Harry is right. A Malfoy does not show weakness in front of others, but in private it is all right to voice your fears."

Draco looked between Harry and his father before looking back to Harry with tears brimming in his eyes. "But the . . .," Draco said before trailing off again. 

"Oh love," Harry said, finally understanding exactly why Draco was so afraid. The prophesy was admittedly enough to scare anyone, especially after seeing exactly what Harry had to kill or die trying. "I'm fine and I will be fine. Shhh, it's okay," he said soothingly, as he began actually rocking Draco and allowed him to cry.

Harry glanced up at Severus and Lucius. Lucius was looking confused, but Severus was looking like he was starting to understand.

"You told him?" Severus asked Harry.

Harry looked at his father helplessly. "I felt that I had to. I told him when we were making up. I didn't want him to get back together with me without knowing the whole truth." He was looking like he was about ready to cry himself now.

"Oh, Harry, no wonder Draco is so afraid right now. It scares me as well," he said as he moved to sit by Harry on the sofa. He pulled Harry onto his lap and Harry tugged Draco along with him so that Draco was curled up next to Severus with his head on Harry's lap and Harry had his head buried in Severus' chest. Both boys were crying.

Lucius looked alarmed at the three of them on the sofa. What was going on now? He could understand his son being afraid of Voldemort. Harry hadn't seemed particularly afraid, but now he was sobbing as hard as Draco. And Severus had said that he was scared? 

Lucius watched in wonder as Severus petted both Harry's and Draco's hair and murmured comforting sounds to the boys. Lucius looked at Severus with a question in his eyes, but Severus just shook his head in return. Now was not the time. Severus flicked his eyes to the sofa, indicating that Lucius should come help him calm the boys down. 

Lucius didn't know what was going on, but Severus was right. He moved and sat beside Draco, rubbing his son's back and hoping to help soothe him. Several minutes later and they were composed again.

Severus looked between the two boys, "Are you better now?"

They both nodded hesitantly. 

"You need to get cleaned up again and off to breakfast. Luckily we got you both up early to make sure you would be all right after last night." Severus sighed heavily. "Somehow I don't think either of you are all right, but I need you to be strong and get through the day. Albus is sure to already be suspicious since I haven't reported to him yet. He would not be pleased to find out that I took the two of you to a Death Eater meeting."

Severus looked at Harry. "I think you should tell Lucius. We can all meet back here after dinner tonight."

Harry looked up at Lucius slightly fearful, but he nodded.

Severus nudged Harry off of his lap. "Go get cleaned up and head up to the hall for breakfast. You both have time after classes this afternoon, so you can come back and take a nap before dinner. Now, I need to go try to head Albus off before he leaves for breakfast."

Both boys nodded again and moved off to Harry's room to do as they were told.

Severus turned back to Lucius to find him gazing bemusedly at the doorway that the boys had just gone through. Lucius finally realized Severus was watching him.

"What was that all about?" Lucius asked.

Severus just shook his head and asked his own question. "Can you stay today? Harry can explain everything to you this evening. Come, you can use Harry's cloak to get through the school and you can give your own report to Albus."

Lucius nodded absently and allowed Severus to hurry him out of his quarters up to Dumbledore's office.

~*~*~*~

Harry and Draco pulled themselves back together, then made their way up to the Great Hall.

"It's going to be a long day," Draco groaned.

Harry wrapped an arm around Draco's waist as they walked. "Yeah, but I can get through classes. I'm more worried about having to tell your father tonight."

"Why should you be worried about that?" Draco asked.

"Draco, that's what caused all the trouble that landed your father in Azkaban," Harry reminded him. "Your father hasn't said anything to me so far, but somehow I don't see him being overly pleased with me to be reminded of that fact."

Draco shrugged. "I think he'll be okay, especially since he hasn't already said anything."

"I hope you're right," was all Harry said.

They paused outside the Great Hall, and Harry pulled Draco into an embrace. "Are you sure you're all right?" Harry asked.

"I'll be fine. Let's just get this day started so we can get it over with," Draco said. He kissed Harry lightly, then grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him into the Great Hall and over to the Slytherin table.

They loaded their plates and set out to eat breakfast while chatting with their friends. They watched as Severus and Dumbledore arrived several minutes late in the hall. Severus nodded once to indicate that everything was all right. Both boys breathed a sigh of relief, but Harry realized that Dumbledore still gave him a piercing look. 

He exchanged a look with Draco.

"I think he knows what we did, but I gather he's not going to say anything. That's good enough for me," Harry said quietly so no one else would overhear. 

Draco nodded in understanding, but then he shook his head with a wry smile on his face. "Only you, Angel, could get away with something like that," he said quietly.

Harry pouted at Draco. "But you've got away with it too.”

Draco looked at him with surprise. "I have, haven't I?" he said with wonder.

Harry laughed at him, and then he leaned over. "So aren't you glad to be dating the Golden Boy now?" he breathed into Draco's ear.

Draco shivered and nodded emphatically. Harry laughed again lightly and they both went back to their breakfast and the conversations surrounding them.

When the owl post came in, neither boy paid much attention. Draco paid the owl for his paper and then laid it down between him and Harry for them to skim through while they ate. 

All of a sudden, Harry almost choked on his pumpkin juice when Blaise grabbed Harry in a tight hug and tried to squeeze the life out of him. He pulled Harry off the bench and swung the smaller boy around once before setting him down again.

While Harry tried to catch his breath, Draco exclaimed, "Blaise, get your hands off of my boyfriend!" But the wide grin belied any malice.

"But he did it!" Blaise exclaimed to Draco. "I don't know how, but he did it!"

Harry got a wicked grin on his face. "If I did anything, then Draco did it, too," he said slyly.

Draco's eyes widened, but he didn't have time for anything else before Blaise had caught _him_ up in a tight hug this time. Draco shoved Blaise off of him, but smiled ruefully.

But then Draco turned a glare in Harry's direction. "Thanks, Angel," he said sarcastically. 

"Just thought I'd share the love with you," Harry said with a cheeky grin.

The entire table and most of the great hall broke out into laughter over the boys' antics. Only a few knew what it was really about, but all thought it was hilarious to watch Dustin and Draco get bowled over by Blaise's enthusiasm.

Harry and Draco exchanged a glance and they nodded in agreement. They each grabbed one of Blaise's arms and pulled him down onto the bench in between them. As they waited for the Hall to settle down again, Harry looked up at the Head Table. 

Dumbledore had not been overly happy with Harry earlier, and he knew it. But now, Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgement to Harry, his eyes twinkling merrily. Harry smiled and nodded his thanks in return. Dumbledore may not have approved of Harry's methods, but the proof of his success was difficult to ignore. Especially when it came in such a live wire package like Blaise.

Harry glanced over at his father. Severus was pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head at the antics members of his house were up to. Harry smirked at him before turning back to Blaise and Draco.

Draco handed Harry the letter that he had just finished reading. Harry read through it. Obviously Blaise was now free from having to get the Dark Mark and he was given permission to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays for the festivities. Harry was thankful that Blaise's father hadn't stated exactly why Voldemort had changed his mind. Harry handed the letter back to Blaise. 

Blaise looked down at the table as he spoke quietly, "I don't know how you two did it, but I know you did. I don't know how to thank you."

Harry rubbed a hand over his ribs. "I think you've already thanked us enough," he said with a rueful smile.

Blaise looked up sheepishly at that. "Yeah, well, I was a little excited about the news.” 

"A little!" Draco exclaimed, rubbing his own ribs. Then he became serious. "Blaise, I'll just say that you were right to place your faith in Dustin like he asked you to." Draco's gaze flicked briefly to Harry before he continued speaking to Blaise. "But no more thanks are necessary."

"But," Blaise tried to say, but Harry stopped him.

"No, if you want to show your gratitude, have a good time with us over the holidays." Then Harry smirked. "Maybe you could help plan a wicked party for Slytherin House over the holidays."

Blaise looked from Harry to Draco and back again. They were serious about not wanting any other show of appreciation. "Well, okay then," Blaise said with his enthusiasm coming back. "I'll start working on plans for a party," he said with glee.

Draco and Harry nodded their approval. "That works for us," Harry said.


	25. Chapter 25

After dinner that evening, Harry and Draco made their way down to Severus' chambers. They had made it through their classes and lunch, and then had done as Severus had suggested and taken a long nap together that afternoon. The day hadn't gone as badly as they had feared. After Blaise's show of appreciation that morning, everything from the night before had been easier to bear. They both knew that they had done the right thing, and it felt good.

Now, however, Harry seemed to be dragging his heels as they walked down to the dungeons. Draco knew why, but he didn't say anything. He just grabbed Harry's hand and kept him moving. 

Lucius was already there when they arrived in the sitting room, but Severus hadn't made it back from dinner yet. Harry had been slowing down as they neared their destination, but when he saw Lucius, he stopped completely. Draco just kept tugging and pulled Harry over to the sofa with him. Draco sat down with his back against the armrest and pulled Harry down to sit between his legs so that he could wrap his arms around him. Harry seemed to relax a bit as he leaned back into Draco's chest and rested his head on Draco's shoulder. 

Harry closed his eyes and really did try to relax. It felt good to be in Draco's arms, but he had no idea what he was supposed to say to Lucius. _Oh, sorry about getting you thrown into Azkaban last spring. But you see, Voldemort felt that I needed to know that either I had to kill him or he would have to kill me._ Harry groaned lightly to himself. Yeah, that would not likely go over well.

Lucius nodded in greeting, but otherwise had not said or done anything up to that point. He just observed as his son practically had to force Harry into the room and was currently trying to get him to relax. When Harry groaned, Draco whispered something in Harry's ear that just made the boy snort in response. 

Lucius had to wonder if Severus' ideas had more merit than he had at first realized. It seemed odd to be serving a sixteen-year-old boy hard liquor, but then, Harry wasn't your typical sixteen-year-old, either. Lucius got up to retrieve one of the bottles of scotch and some glasses. He did as Severus had done a few nights before, pouring a glass and handing it to Draco to pass to Harry. Draco murmured in Harry's ear and Harry sat up a bit to take a hefty swallow before leaning back again. 

Lucius thought about it briefly, then passed a second glass to Draco. Draco looked at his father in surprise. A glass of wine with dinner was allowed now and then, but never anything more than that.

"I think you've earned it," was all Lucius said. 

Harry chuckled, but there wasn't much amusement in it. "That's what my father said when he gave me my first glass of scotch," he explained. He stared down at his glass. "I enjoy the privilege, but I'm not very appreciative of all the things I've gone through to earn it," he said bitterly. 

Draco had taken a sip of his scotch, but set his glass back down on the table at Harry's words. He then took Harry's glass from him and set it on the table as well, before shifting Harry in his arms so he could kiss him. 

And Draco was relentless. This wasn't a chaste and gentle kiss. He pulled Harry to him tightly and proceeded to plunder Harry's mouth. It wasn't long before Harry had his hands twined in Draco's hair and he had turned completely in Draco's arms to align their bodies. Draco was running his hands up and down Harry's back, sliding lower each time. 

Lucius watched in amazement as the boys in front of him seemed to melt together. He was slightly startled when he heard Severus' voice, since he hadn't heard him enter the room. 

"Are they performing more 'stress relief'?" Severus asked wryly.

Lucius just stared at him for a moment. "Do they do this often in front of other people?" he asked in amazement.

Severus shook his head. "No, at least I don't think so," he said with a suspicious glance at the boys. "But last night, before the meeting, they were behaving in the same manner. Said it was 'stress relief'. I left them to it until it was time to go, since it seemed to actually be working," he said roll of his eyes.

Harry pulled back just enough to say, "It works wonderfully," then continued his snogging session with Draco, but otherwise took no notice of either his father or Lucius. 

Lucius blinked. He hadn't thought that the boys were even aware that anybody else was around anymore. 

Severus just chuckled as he made his way to his chair to settle in and pour his own glass of scotch. 

Both boys groaned as they parted lips. Draco leaned his head back against the couch with his eyes shut tight and Harry moved slightly to lay his head against Draco's chest. His eyes were also shut and they were both panting lightly. With Severus here, it was time to talk and they both knew it. 

"Feel better now, Harry?" Severus asked in an amused tone.

Harry opened one eye to glare weakly at his father before closing it again. 

Lucius joined in with Severus this time to chuckle at the boys. They shared a look. Both men remembered what it had been like to be sixteen-year-old boys, wild with hormones. In fact, they remembered sharing their own times together like the two in front of them.

"Maybe the boys have the right idea, Severus," Lucius drawled. "I remember our own times doing the same as these two."

That got the boys' attention. Their eyes flew open and both turned to stare at their fathers.

Harry opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again.

Draco did a little better. "You and father?" he spluttered.

Both men chuckled again. "Yes," Severus answered. "Your father and I were together for a time in school."

"But why?" Harry managed to get out.

"Why didn't we stay together?" Severus asked, and Harry and Draco both nodded.

Severus actually turned to gaze at Lucius. Lucius closed his eyes briefly. "I hadn't exactly planned to get into this.”

"It's all right, Lucius. It was a long time ago and you're right, we came here to talk about something else tonight," Severus said.

"No," Lucius said. He opened his eyes and gazed at the boys for a few moments, still wrapped in each other's arms, before turning back to Severus. 

"It's not all right," he said finally. "It may have been a long time ago, but it's never been forgotten."

Severus shook his head slowly. "No, not forgotten," he said simply.

The boys watched the interaction between their fathers in wonder and remained silent. 

"I'm sorry, Severus, that I was not stronger," Lucius said sadly.

"I was no stronger, Lucius," Severus said. "We both followed paths that we shouldn't have."

A look of understanding and forgiveness passed between them. "It's over and done with now, isn't it?" Lucius asked with a small smile.

Severus smiled slightly in return. "Yes, Lucius. I think the past can be left behind us where it belongs, and we can move forward now."

They turned back to the boys. "You remind me so much of Severus and me at your age. With some major differences though," Lucius said.

"Yes, we were together in school, but neither of us was nearly as strong as you two at your age. There were many of the same pressures you have dealt with, Draco, on becoming followers of the Dark Lord. But the times were different. There is more hope now," he said, looking at Harry.

"Times were darker and our families put tremendous pressure on us. We didn't have any viable choices that we could see. In fact, we bought into much of the web of lies that was woven for us by our parents and the Dark Lord, and we were sucked into the trap. It's taken me far too many years to finally break free," Lucius explained. "I also had the added pressure of my arranged marriage to Narcissa. There was no room left for any relationship between Severus and I. He broke free long before I did." 

"Maybe it's time for you two to start over," Harry said tentatively.

Severus smiled. Harry was always full of hope and optimism, no matter what the circumstances, it seemed. 

Lucius smiled also. "Harry, I think your father already offered me a second chance when he asked me to stay here last night."

The boys' eyes widened in surprise again and Severus spoke up. "No, nothing happened, you two," he said. "It was very late and after everything last night, it seemed appropriate to ask him to stay. I also knew that he wanted to be here this morning to make sure that you both would be all right. Not that I'm sure I need to be explaining my behaviour to you," he added dryly.

The boys laughed finally. "Maybe not," Harry said, "but I'm happy to hear that you two are going to give each other another chance." He gave a loving look to Draco. "I'd be lost without Draco.”

"The love and dedication between the two of you is obvious. I am happy for the both of you," Lucius said. 

"Thank you, Father," Draco said.

They were all silent for a few minutes until finally Severus spoke up again. "Harry, didn't we meet this evening so that you could actually explain things to Lucius?"

Harry groaned and buried his face back into Draco's chest. "Couldn't you have forgotten about that?" he mumbled.

"No, Harry, I think Lucius needs to know.”

Harry groaned again, but he moved to finally sit up. Draco positioned them the same way he had when they had first arrived, and wrapped Harry back into a protective embrace. Both Harry and Draco picked up their glasses and drank some of their scotch. Harry looked as if he were trying to fortify himself for the coming discussion. He looked at Lucius, that touch of fear back in his eyes.

"Harry, why do you seem to be afraid of me again?" Lucius asked confused. "The last few days you have been interacting fine with me. You didn't even show as much fear facing the Dark Lord as you have shown at facing me tonight. I admit that I don't understand."

Harry glanced up at Draco before he took a deep breath to answer. "I'm more afraid of you right now than Voldemort because your opinion actually matters to me.” 

"All right, but then why are you afraid of me? You weren't a few days ago," Lucius said.

Harry looked over at his father. 

"It'll be all right, Harry," Severus said.

Harry closed his eyes briefly, but he nodded. "I'm afraid because I love Draco and I don't particularly want his father to hate me," he said with his head bowed down. Draco didn't say anything but tightened his hold on Harry. "And how could his father not hate me when I landed him in Azkaban."

Lucius started to speak but Harry held up a hand to stop him. It seemed that now that he had started, he wasn't going to be able to stop until he had finished.

"So far, over the last few days, no one had mentioned the events from last spring and I didn't want to bring it up. I didn't particularly want to remind you that you have a very good reason to hate me." He lifted his head to look him directly in the eye. "Lucius, I am sorry that you had to go through that experience, but I can't say that I'm sorry that I inadvertently put you there."

Harry shrugged. "Once again, it was just something that had to be done. I made a mistake in going there in the first place, but once there, I could only follow through on what needed to be done." Harry paused and downed the rest of his scotch.

"Harry, I'm not sure what all this has to do with why you and Draco were so upset this morning, but you obviously need to know that I don't blame you for what happened last year," Lucius said.

Harry looked at him in surprise. "You don't?"

Lucius smiled ruefully. "No, I don't. I can't say that, for awhile, I was particularly happy with you, but I came to understand that it wasn't really your fault. I do understand that you were only doing what you needed to do."

He looked at Harry appraisingly. "And after the last few days, I have to say that I understand even better now. You didn't set out that day just to round up some Death Eaters, did you?"

"No," Harry said. "Voldemort had sent me a vision that showed Sirius captured and being tortured there. I'd had plenty of visions before and had no reason to suspect that this one wasn't real. I only went there in hopes of saving Sirius." He looked down again. "Instead, I just got him killed," he said bitterly.

Lucius looked surprised. "Harry, I was there. Remember?"

Harry just looked at him confused. "Of course I remember.”

"Well, I remember as well. You didn't kill Sirius, Bellatrix did." Lucius paused. "And actually, you didn't do anything to capture us either. It seems to me that you went barrelling after Bellatrix and decided to duel with her and got caught up between the Dark Lord and Dumbledore, while the Aurors and the Order took the rest of us into custody."

Lucius stared hard into Harry's eyes and wouldn't let Harry look away. "I was there, Harry. There wasn't a thing that you could have done for Sirius, and it wouldn't have made any sense whatsoever for your actions to have been any different towards me that night."

Harry slowly nodded, eyes still locked with Lucius.

All of a sudden, Lucius chuckled. The sound caused Harry to blink and the other two in the room to startle after the tension.

"Obviously, you remember the bad parts of that night, but I wonder if you have actually taken the time to remember any of the rest of it," Lucius said with amusement clear in his voice.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. Severus and Draco were also looking at him questioningly. 

"You mean you haven't told them of the merry chase you and your friends led us on that night?" he asked Harry with glee, as he thought back to that night.

Harry visibly relaxed some and started to laugh as well. He shook his head. "You outnumbered us two to one and we were still getting the best of you for quite awhile," he said with a chuckle. 

"You managed to keep me talking until you got a plan together. How you communicated that to each other, I still have no idea," Lucius said with curiosity.

"I just had to keep you talking to cover the noise of us whispering. There was a lot of foot stomping between us, as well, to get each other's attention. Overall, you covered for me quite well, thank you," Harry said with a cheeky grin.

Lucius smiled ruefully in return. "You're welcome," he said sardonically. "Yes, and after teasing us with the prophecy for a while, you dropped all of those shelves on us," he remembered. "It was quite the shocking experience.”

"Yeah, you managed to split us up once we were able to run, but we got a few good shots in there," Harry said with a wicked smile.

Severus and Draco had been watching and listening in amazement. First of all, they had never seen Lucius and Harry interact in such a manner. They were actually reminiscing over that botched attempt to retrieve the prophecy. Second of all, what they were hearing sounded like a very interesting story, and they wanted the details.

"What exactly did you do to them, Harry?" Severus asked in curiosity.

"Yeah, Harry, you've never told us this part," Draco said. 

Lucius and Harry paused and exchanged glances. "Maybe it's time to tell the whole story?" Harry asked.

Lucius agreed and they set out to explain all of the events that had happened that night. For Harry especially, going over the memories of that night in this new humorous manner enabled him to gain a new perspective. It still hurt when it came to talking about Sirius, but even that changed slightly as he described for the others what had happened. It seemed that Lucius had been stunned and out cold when Sirius had gone through the veil.

"Actually," Harry said thoughtfully. "It was at least partly Sirius' own fault that he died. Once Dumbledore got there, everyone had stopped fighting except for Sirius and Bellatrix. They were duelling and Sirius was taunting her. He taunted her one time too many, I guess, and her next spell caught him and he fell backwards into the veil."

Harry didn't want to dwell on it and tried to lighten the mood again. He looked at his father. "You always say Gryffindors are reckless and I guess there's definitely proof of that," he said with a wry, but sad smile.

Severus also wanted to bring Harry back out of the melancholy he was trying so hard not to slip into. "Ah, but you are a Slytherin now," he said with obvious pride in his tone. "You are not to take the role of foolish, reckless Gryffindor any longer."

Harry gave him a small smile. He was pleased with his father's pride in him. But then his smile faltered again. "Maybe, but I was still a Gryffindor at the time. A Gryffindor who was reckless with rage because he'd just watched his Godfather get himself killed. It's too bad you hadn't taught me about intent before then," he said with a malicious sneer. "I would have been able to do a much more effective job casting the _Cruciatus_ on Bellatrix."

The two Malfoys were astonished. "You attempted to cast _Crucio_ on her?" Lucius asked, his surprise obvious.

"Yeah, I made her scream and managed to knock her back on her arse, but the bitch didn't stay down," Harry said. "It did get her to stop her damn baby talk, though." He shuddered at the thought of how she talked to him, which made Lucius laugh.

"I had forgotten about how she talked to you," Lucius chuckled. "I bet _Crucio_ did tend to make her change her tune a bit."

Harry gave a wicked smile. "Yeah, she wasn't treating me quite the same after that. I wasn't doing too bad holding my own against her, but then Voldemort showed up." 

He went on with his story. He described how Voldemort had cast the _Avada Kedavra_ against him again and how Dumbledore had appeared. He described their duel and mentioned how Voldemort had tried to possess him. 

"He possessed you?!" Draco exclaimed as the others blinked. They hadn't heard this before either. 

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, but not for long. He was trying to get Dumbledore to kill me off for him basically. But I started thinking about Sirius and I was hurting and Voldemort couldn't hold onto me." He shrugged again. "Dumbledore says that I've got too much love in me for Voldemort to handle."

Draco held on tight to Harry again and buried his head in Harry's neck. Harry turned his head to kiss Draco's cheek. "It's okay, Draco. It's done and over with, and even Voldemort isn't stupid enough to try to possess me again."

But Draco was trembling again and wasn't about to be consoled by those words. "Yeah, but why were you there in the first place? You barely survived," he snarled, lifting his head to glare at Harry. 

Harry bowed his head again. He tried to pull away from Draco, but Draco wouldn't let him move. "Oh no, you aren't going anywhere.”

"I'm doing the best I can, Draco," Harry said, his voice barely a whisper. 

Harry sounded so defeated and miserable and Draco's anger left as quickly as it had come. "I know you are, Angel," he whispered quietly to Harry. He pulled Harry close again, and once more buried his face in Harry's neck. 

Harry eased back into Draco's arms, but he didn't exactly relax again. His shoulders were slumped in defeat and his head was still lowered, refusing to look at anyone. 

Lucius looked at the pair on the couch. "Why do I have the feeling that we are back where we started this morning?"

Severus had refilled Harry's glass and, as he handed it to his son, he said, "Finish your story, Harry. What else happened that night?"

Harry downed the drink in one. They had started out in humour, but now Harry's voice was toneless as he explained the rest of the events. He described what Dumbledore had tried to explain to him, stating that Harry's greatest strength was his pain. Harry described how he had lashed out at that and set out to destroy Dumbledore's office when Dumbledore had kept him locked in. 

"You destroyed Albus' office?" Severus asked in awe. "No one would dare do something like that.”

Harry finally looked up and realized that the other two were also looking at him in disbelief.

"Um, yeah, Albus didn't seem to mind," Harry said. "He just waited me out until I could calm down again."

Severus blinked, and then muttered to himself, repeating what Harry had said. "Albus didn't seem to mind."

"Well, he had stuff he still wanted to explain to me and I was a bit too enraged with everyone to care at that point," Harry explained.

"So he just let you destroy his office?" Severus asked again.

"Um, yeah," Harry repeated. "He said he had too many possessions, so by all means I should continue destroying them." He then admitted, "It was about that time that I finally calmed down enough for him to talk to me again."

Severus poured himself another drink and downed it like Harry had earlier. Lucius did the same. Draco finished off the drink that he had abandoned. For his part, Harry just watched the other three in silence.

Severus looked back at Harry. "You have a far different relationship with Albus than anyone I know, including myself and all of the other professors. There is no one else that would ever be able to get away with what you did," he said, some of the amazement still in his tone. Lucius and Draco nodded their agreement.

Harry just shrugged it off. "He covered a lot that night and explained many things to me that he should have long ago. We pretty much came to an unspoken agreement that night, and we have an understanding now, I guess. I help him and he helps me. Then when I had my talk with him right after school started, I made my position clear. He is not likely to go directly against me in anything now. I have the right to make my own decisions," he said, determination coming back into his voice. 

"You had a talk with him, not he had a talk with you," Severus attempted to clarify. 

Harry actually quirked a small smile. "Yes, I went to have a talk with him. Dumbledore actually tried to treat me like a child again, but I made it clear that his attitude in that manner is a thing of the past. I think we are on fairly equal terms now," he said thoughtfully.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Harry, only you could consider yourself on equal footing with Albus Dumbledore. But why do I have the feeling that you are correct?"

"Maybe because I'm right? He's far more knowledgeable than me, but as individuals we're pretty much equal. I certainly don't treat him reverentially as most people do, and he doesn't expect it from me. I think we understand each other now and he has much more respect for me than he used to."

Harry smirked at his father, and included Lucius in his gaze. "As an example, Dumbledore knows I left school grounds last night to attend a Death Eater meeting, dragging my boyfriend with me. I don't know exactly how he knows, or how much he knows, but he does have at least the basic idea of what happened last night.”

Severus looked at him in surprise, but Harry didn't give him a chance to say anything as he continued his explanation.

"Anyway, the only communication we've participated in concerning the matter was across the Great Hall from each other over breakfast. First, I got the piercing stare that told me he knew which I basically ignored while I discussed it with Draco. Then after Blaise's enthusiastic thanks, I got the nod of approval telling me that he was pleased that my plan was a success," Harry explained.

Draco looked slightly confused, since he really didn't have much experience with Dumbledore, but Lucius and Severus were staring at him with complete understanding. They'd been on the receiving end of the piercing stares and nods of approval themselves many times.

"Harry," Severus finally said, "You will never cease to amaze me. Even for you, this goes far beyond being Dumbledore's Golden Boy. I believe you are actually correct in your assessment that you are equals now."

"Yes, but unfortunately, there's one thing that really placed us as equals," Harry said sadly. "And it wasn't me or Dumbledore."

Harry turned to Lucius, who was looking confused again. "You see, Lucius, what we had originally set out to explain to you tonight was that I know the full prophecy that we had been fighting over last spring."

Lucius was shocked once again. "But it was broken that night."

"Yes, but Dumbledore was there when the prophecy was originally given. That night Dumbledore made me stay in his office, partly so he could finally tell me the full prophecy. He showed me the memory from his Pensieve." Harry recited the prophecy before going on to say, "I'm to kill or be killed and Voldemort is the one who literally marked me as an equal to himself and Dumbledore.”

Lucius just stared at Harry. 

Harry glanced at Draco briefly. "When I first told Draco about the prophecy, he said he wasn't really that worried about it because I've been working like crazy to prepare for this confrontation with Voldemort." His eyes flicked to Draco again. "But I think it finally hit him this morning as to what I really have to face."

Severus looked at Harry knowingly. "You're not afraid of the prophecy, are you? I'm sure you were at first, but you've been doing absolutely anything and everything you can towards defeating the Dark Lord. You've been training hard since the summer, even going so far as to learn the Dark Arts."

Once again Lucius was surprised. His head whipped to look first at Severus, and then to Harry. 

Severus ignored him and continued. "You've admitted that you've essentially faced down Dumbledore already. I watched you face down the entire Order and basically tell an entire room full of adults where to stick it if they couldn't get their act together to fight in this war. You faced the Dark Lord himself last night and made it possible to protect Draco and several of the other Slytherins. You've changed your very identity this year in hopes of being able to protect your friends and everyone else in this school. And then you've actually united almost the entire school. Every single house works together, including Slytherin and Gryffindor, and the majority of the students get specialized training from you and your friends on a regular basis."

Severus paused and Harry just shrugged. "Yeah, I'm doing all of that, but what's your point, Father? I'm sure you're trying to tell me something," he said wryly.

"You aren't actually afraid of the prophecy, are you?" Severus repeated the question and waited for Harry to answer this time. 

"No. You've already listed most of the things I'm doing to try to deal with it.”

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Most?"

Harry just waved him off. "Later.”

Severus looked at him suspiciously but let it slide for now. "The point I'm trying to make, Harry, is that you are not afraid of the prophecy. You are afraid of _Draco's_ fear of the prophecy. I also think you didn't want to tell Lucius for the same reason. Because if Draco is afraid of the prophecy, you are afraid he will leave you. And you are afraid that Lucius will force him to leave you because of it. After all, I'm sure you've reasoned that Draco really wouldn't want to risk being too close to someone with that kind of prophecy hanging over their head, and you've mentioned how it seemed to finally hit Draco just this morning."

Draco looked up again at that. Lucius also looked to Harry. Harry didn't look surprised and he didn't say anything, either. In fact, while Severus had been talking, Harry had pulled his knees up to his chest and had managed to pull away from Draco enough to rest his head on knees. He had his arms wrapped tightly around his legs and didn't look as if he planned to let go any time soon. He was looking quite dejected and alone. 

"I really am doing the best I can,” he said quietly.

Draco finally understood. "Oh, Angel, Severus wasn't repeating all of what you've been doing this year for your sake. I think he was reminding me, and informing my father, of everything you're doing. I'm sorry I got angry with you earlier. I do know that you're doing your best. I'm scared, but that doesn't mean I'm going to leave you." 

Draco was practically pleading with Harry because he wasn't budging. He was wrapped tightly around himself and wouldn't allow Draco to pull him back again.

Severus sighed and moved over to the sofa. As he'd done that morning, he sat down and pulled Harry over onto his lap. Harry curled up into his father and buried his face in his robes. 

Draco looked pleadingly at his own father. Lucius sighed and closed his eyes for a few moments. How did his son manage to get together with Harry Potter, of all people? He certainly wasn't going to try to prevent it, however.

"Harry," Lucius said, and he watched as Harry tensed again at the sound of his voice. "Do you remember what we talked about earlier? Do you remember when we discussed mine and Severus' past? I was forced into a marriage that I didn't want, just because that's what my parents thought was best for me. I don't intend to do anything of the sort to Draco. Prophecy or no, if Draco wants to be with you, then I'm not going to stop him in anyway."

Draco shot his father a look of gratitude and moved over on the sofa so he could reach Harry. He began rubbing small soothing circles on Harry's back. The same circles that always seemed to help Harry relax, and Draco's magic fingers seemed to be doing the trick again. All three watched as Harry visibly relaxed at Draco's touch. 

"Harry," Draco said.

Harry shifted slightly and looked up at Draco through his lashes, and Draco's heart melted once again. He smiled slightly.

"Harry, I love you and I'm not going to leave you. The prophecy scares the fuck out of me, but it just means that I'm going to fight all the harder beside you. I'm not going to leave you," he repeated.

"Are you sure, Draco?" Harry asked. He closed his eyes tightly. "It's really too much to ask anyone to have to deal with."

"Yes, I'm positive. I would be lost without you," Draco said gently. "And _you_ have to deal with it all," he said pointedly. "Which means I will be there to help you deal with it." Draco's voice was full of conviction and determination at that point. 

Harry stared at Draco for a moment and then slowly slid from Severus' lap onto Draco's. He cupped Draco's face in his hands and leaned forward to kiss him gently. "I love you, too.” 

"All right, boys," Severus said. "Before you two get started again, I think you should go perform any 'stress relief' in your room. Besides, it is late once again and, despite your nap earlier, you two need to get some sleep."

That brought a tired grin back to Harry's face. "Yeah, maybe it is time for bed.”

Draco smirked. "I'll agree to that."

The two of them said their goodnights and made their way to Harry's room. They left Lucius and Severus to work out their own differences.


	26. Chapter 26

"Wotcher, Dustin!" Tonks greeted Harry warmly. "Good to have you back!"

Harry grinned at her. She had green hair with silver streaks. It simply had to be the same hair style as what Severus said she'd done after Harry left last time. "Hello," he said. He couldn't remember if he was supposed to know her name or not. "Nice hair," he added.

"Just thought I'd show my support for you being here today," she said, winking at him. 

Dumbledore didn't say anything, but smiled benignly as he gestured Harry and Severus to seats near him at the head of the table. This was the first meeting of all, or at least most, of the Order members since the beginning of the year. 

Harry knew from Severus that, generally speaking, Dumbledore would simply meet with individuals on a regular basis. Full Order meetings were usually only called when there was an emergency, or to periodically keep everyone up to date with what everyone else was doing. Thankfully, this was just one of the periodic update meetings, and more than likely being held simply because things had been awfully quiet over the last couple of months.

 _Well, it'd been quiet for everyone else, at least_ , Harry thought to himself. He glanced warily at Dumbledore. It had been a couple days, but the old wizard still hadn't specifically talked to Harry about the Death Eater meeting that he had attended. Harry didn't think that Dumbledore would try to get him to discuss it in front of everyone but, then again, it wouldn't surprise him if he did. Harry began to really wonder exactly why this meeting had been called.

He turned and quirked an eyebrow in question at his father. Severus shook his head slightly. He either didn't know, or was choosing not to tell Harry, and Harry wasn't sure which it was.

Harry glanced around at the other Order members as they were arriving. Some, like Tonks and Remus, were offering Harry encouraging smiles. The Weasleys still looked a little concerned, but seemed all right with Harry being there. Moody and a few others were still looking awfully wary, though.

Dumbledore soon called the meeting to order. "I think we all agreed to spend some time pondering the issue of whether or not Dustin should be allowed to attend the Order meetings. At this point, does anyone have any objections?" he asked the fairly large group. 

Most were slowly shaking their heads. Harry had to suppress his grin when he realized that his father was glaring at them all, essentially daring them to say they didn't want him there.

Moody, of course, spoke up, ignoring Severus' glare. "I think the boy should tell us if he's actually managed to do anything useful over the last two months before we decide," he growled.

"I think you will find that Dustin has done a number of things," Dumbledore said calmly to Moody. He gestured to Harry. "Dustin, why don't you tell him of the successes you've had with uniting the school so far."

Harry sighed in irritation, glancing at Dumbledore to see if he could gage if that was all the old man expected him to talk about or not. Dumbledore, as usual, wasn't giving anything away. Harry turned to address Moody and the rest of the group.

"At this point, I've got close to half of the school working together in the DA.” Gasps of surprise could be heard from some, even as others looked confused. "For those of you who don't know what the DA is, it's a group started by Harry Potter last year. The group meets regularly to study extra defence that's not taught in the classroom. Many of the students have only had one decent Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher over the last several years," he said, with a wry smile and a gesture towards Remus. 

Remus smiled and acknowledged Harry's comment with a nod.

"You've got almost half the school?" Fred, or George, commented incredulously. "We only had about twenty-five members last year!"

Harry smirked at the twins. He couldn't let it be known, but he was glad to see them. He was sure they were happy to finally be allowed into these meetings themselves.

Harry nodded. "So I understand. We're continually working to recruit new members, and gain more each week. We've already got all of the Slytherins attending the meetings, but half the people in the other houses are still wary of getting involved, for various reasons."

" _All_ of the Slytherins? And who's the 'we' that you mentioned?" the other twin asked curiously. The other Order members were silent, but listening intently to the exchange.

"Yes, all of the Slytherins. Draco and I, along with Ron and Hermione, run the DA," Harry admitted.

"Malfoy?!" the twins weren't the only ones to exclaim out loud. 

"Yes," Harry acknowledged. "We each bring our own knowledge and skills into the group to teach the others. I made the decision to start the group again this year in Potter's stead, but it would not be as effective if I ran it alone. Slytherins and Gryffindors working together in the leadership role sends a strong message to all of the students."

"I think we need to pay a visit-"

"-to little Ronniekins," the twins said.

"He can fill you in more," Harry acknowledged. 

Harry settled his gaze on Moody. "I have yet to fulfil my promise to unite the entire school, but I'm steadily making progress."

Moody was eyeing Harry. His good eye was studying him contemplatively, while his magical eye was spinning circles freely. Harry was thankful he didn't spend much time around Moody. He knew the man still wasn't completely convinced that Harry should be attending these meetings.

"So, are we in agreement that Dustin shall be allowed to continue attending these meetings?" Dumbledore asked the group.

Everyone nodded, although some more enthusiastically than others. 

"Excellent!" Dumbledore declared with a smile. "Now then, I think it is time we get down to other business. As a reminder to all of you," he said, his gaze focusing on Fred and George in particular, "and as notice to our newest members, it is vital that all information learned here must remain within this group. This includes giving away any information to younger siblings or their friends. Voldemort and his followers cannot learn exactly how much we know."

"Now, Dustin," Dumbledore said, getting Harry's attention. "I believe it would be wise for you to fill the Order in on your other recent activities—particularly since it is one of the main developments since school resumed this term."

Harry glared at Dumbledore. Damn the old man anyway. Harry knew that technically the Order members should be made aware of the situation, but he had fully intended to keep this secret. Harry turned to Severus. "I wasn't going to tell anyone," he hissed quietly. "And I had thought you weren't going to, either."

Severus gave him a curt nod. "I recognize that. However, it is your safety on the line. What happens if you are in another situation like the other night, members of the Order arrive, and they don't know?"

"They'd hex me first and ask questions later, assuming I'm still alive by then to answer them," Harry snapped. 

"Exactly," Severus said evenly. 

"I know the bloody risks!" Harry said angrily. "Moody, and half these people, don't trust you as it is! And you think this will go over well?"

"Dustin," Severus said warningly, his tone low and deadly.

"You could have at least warned me that you were going to make me tell them," Harry said, somewhat petulantly. 

"Ah, but that is the beauty of being your father," Severus sneered. "It is my duty to do what I can to make sure you are protected, even as you do something like this to protect your friends."

"Oh, fine," Harry huffed. 

Harry and Severus turned back to face the group who had been watching them argue.

"Albus, you can't seriously think this teenager honestly belongs here?" Moody questioned.

"I do," Dumbledore said, his words simple, but his tone brooking no argument. "Dustin may be only a teenager, but he is performing duties many other Order members would fear to do."

Moody attempted to argue anyway. "There is nothing fearful about training a bunch of his peers," he growled.

"No, there's not," Harry retorted angrily. "But most of you can't even say Voldemort's name, let alone face the evil git."

Harry rolled his eyes as the requisite gasps coursed through the room. 

"What do you mean, boy?" Moody growled.

Harry narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I mean that I had to go head Voldemort off last week so that my friends with Death Eaters for parents wouldn't be hauled off over the Christmas holidays to receive the Dark Mark."

Molly finally spoke up. "Severus, he can't mean that you let him attend a Death Eater meeting?" she asked incredulously.

Severus snorted. "My son, ironically enough, went to face the Dark Lord and fed him a bunch of lies so that I would not be required to drag him there to receive the Dark Mark over holidays. By doing so, he has protected my cover as spy in the Dark Lord's ranks, as well as protected himself and several of the other Slytherin students."

The Order knew that Severus was a spy, but did not know about Lucius. Trying to explain Draco’s presence there would have been almost impossible. Harry was mourning the fact that he hadn't been able to keep his visit with Voldemort quiet like Lucius was doing. Of course, as far as Dumbledore was concerned, Lucius and Draco were likely amongst the expendable human sacrifices to the cause, if it came down to it.

Harry could admit that his father had a point. Telling the Order what he was doing made sense if they ended up running into him while he was wearing Death Eater robes. But if he had to tell them about himself, he regretted that he couldn't really tell them about Draco, too. Aside from the issue with Lucius, most Order members would find it extremely difficult to believe Draco was a spy. At this point, Harry could only hope that they would be able to trust him and his father.

"How do you know that the other Slytherins don't actually want the Mark?" one of the twins asked. 

"We've always thought the Slytherins were just Death Eaters in training," the other twin added.

Harry growled in frustration. "Have you forgotten that I am one of those Slytherins? Like me, none of them want to receive the Mark," he said angrily. "I know this because I've taken the time to truly get to know them, talk with them and do my best to actually help them, rather than condemn them automatically for the house that they belong to, or because they've got parents with some serious attitudes."

"Dustin," Dumbledore said in warning before Severus could this time.

Harry took a couple of deep breaths before speaking again. The members of the room seemed to be waiting expectantly. "Look," he said finally. "Give me a chance to explain."

"Go ahead then," Moody growled impatiently.

Harry scowled at him, but began explaining regardless. He explained the Pensieve viewing, the subsequent chats with the Slytherins, all of them joining the DA, then Blaise's letter and Harry's meeting with Voldemort. 

"It's hard for most of the Slytherins to go against their parents' wishes, but I'm doing my bloody best to help them and make it possible for them to fight against joining Voldemort. I've got it easy in the sense that my father is on the Light side in this war.”

The members of the Order were staring at Harry in various stages of shock. Even Moody seemed taken aback by all that Harry had been doing to help protect the Slytherins, and helping them to fight back on their own the best they could.

Harry turned back to Moody, who was eyeing him pensively. "It seems that you may be useful after all," Moody finally acknowledged grudgingly. 

"Thank you," Harry said evenly, despite the fact that he wanted to scream in frustration. He'd tried to tell the man he was useful two months before. Ironically, it only took a meeting with Voldemort to gain Moody's trust. He hoped.

"So do you trust me?" Harry asked pointedly. "Do you all trust my father?" he asked, glancing around the room.

"We trust the both of you," Remus said quietly. "And I have seen the results of your DA meetings in every one of my classes. Students of every year, and every house, are improving their defence skills dramatically."

"That's partly you, too, though," Harry said.

"Partly, maybe," Remus acknowledged. "But in every class I can easily split the students into two groups when it comes to practical work—those that have had practice already in your DA meetings, and those who have not."

Harry shrugged. "Then it makes it easier for you to teach."

Remus chuckled. "It certainly does make my job easier in many ways, although I find that I have had to seriously overhaul my lesson plans for the upper years. There is also the added bonus that, compared to when I taught at Hogwarts a few years ago, I did not have nearly the level of participation and interest that I do now."

"Then I am doing my job," Harry said.

"Dustin," Molly called his name, getting his attention. "You are obviously doing great work helping the students learn their defence, and I have no concerns with trusting you, or your father. But I am concerned for your own safety. How could you possibly think it wise to attend a Death Eater meeting?" she finished in practically a shout.

Harry winced inwardly. He really didn't want to set her off. "Mrs. Weasley, I recognize your concerns, but you must realize that I did not go into this without preparation and a lot of thought. I also did not do this without backup. My father was there with me at all times. I know it was a risk, but it was a risk that I was willing to take."

"He could've killed you!" she shouted.

"He could have," Harry admitted calmly, his bluntness startling her. "Voldemort is a cruel, sadistic bastard that thinks nothing of killing people. However, he does value servants, at least to some extent. As far as he was concerned, I was there to pledge my loyalty to him. He wants more servants, and had no problem with accepting my loyalty to him, alongside my father. In actuality, I was not in nearly as much danger as you'd at first suspect."

"How could it not be dangerous?" Molly asked, appalled at what Harry was saying.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not saying it wasn't dangerous. Being around Voldemort is always dangerous in one way or another. I'm simply saying it was less dangerous than it could've been. I wasn't going into battle against him—I was there on friendly terms, as it were."

"He actually believed you were pledging your loyalty to him?" Moody growled. The man was tenacious with his paranoia. 

"Yes," Harry said. "He now believes that I'm loyal to him, particularly since I went to him on my own, rather than being summoned. And, by showing him no fear, he believes me. Not only that, but by going to one of the Death Eater meetings, I've reinforced my father's position. Reinforcing Voldemort's trust in my father means it'll be easier for him to bring back more information from future meetings. There were many advantages to me doing this.”

Severus had been quiet up to this point, intently watching the members of the group, and listening closely to all that was said, allowing Harry to work it out with everyone. Now he chose to speak up.

"I would not have allowed my son to attend if the advantages had not been greater than the risks. Contrary to what some of you may believe, I did not want him to face the Dark Lord," he sneered.

"No one believes you would wish to put your son in harm's way, Severus," Dumbledore said, coming out of his silence as well. "I believe the majority of us are simply concerned for the welfare of both of you."

Snape gave the Headmaster a curt nod.

"Now, I believe we still need to catch up with everyone else's activities over the last couple of months," Dumbledore said.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief that they were finally moving on. And that everyone seemed to be willing to move on without questioning him any further. 

As Harry listened to the others give their reports on what they'd been doing over the last couple of months, he slowly realized that no one seemed to have been doing much of anything. Aside from Severus, Harry had been the only one doing anything truly productive regarding the war against Voldemort. There was also Draco and Lucius, but no one knew about them. 

Hell, it seemed the first years were doing more than most of these adults.

Harry knew he was being a bit unfair with his thoughts. He knew very well that every single one of the adults in that room would immediately fly into action if there was a need for it. Any one of them would do anything Dumbledore asked of them.

Harry just couldn't see where they were doing anything to prevent things from happening in the first place. Then again, what exactly were they supposed to be doing? Not a single person there, besides himself, would be able to actually defeat Voldemort. It made no sense to try to hunt the man down. 

Some of them, like Moody, Tonks and Shacklebolt, had been searching for Death Eaters, but activity had been quiet recently. The only reason anyone knew much of what was going on with Voldemort and the Death Eaters came from information from Severus and Lucius. And once again, those situations generally required 'jump in and take action immediately' rather than preventative measures.

Harry sighed. When it came down to it, he was the one that was going to have to deal with it. He only wished that he knew how to actually bring down Voldemort.

~*~*~*~

"Where have you been?" Draco asked, after giving Harry a welcoming kiss. "I thought you were with your father all this time."

Harry smirked at him. "What makes you think I wasn't? I don't always have a glass of scotch when I'm with him."

Draco blinked. "You do when it's this late in the evening," he finally responded.

Harry flopped backwards on the couch in his room and didn't answer. Draco had been sitting at the desk working on an assignment while Harry was gone, but now he came over to sit beside him.

"Is something wrong?" Draco asked in concern, pulling Harry down to lie in his lap and threading his fingers through silky black hair.

"Everything's fabulous," Harry said sarcastically. 

"Angel, what's bothering you?" Draco asked, his tone warning Harry that he'd better answer.

Harry sighed. "I was with my father, but Dumbledore called an Order meeting this evening." He explained everything that had been said at the meeting.

"So they all know that you attended a Death Eater meeting?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Yes," Harry said, nodding slightly, the movement restricted by Draco's hands massaging his temples. "I hadn't planned on telling them, but I suppose it's for the best. I've always got angry because they wouldn't keep me informed about what was going on, so I should be telling them what's going on."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "If that's not the problem, what is it that's got you so tense?"

"It just hit me again tonight, as I listened to them, that when it all comes down to it, I'm the only one who will be able to end it all," Harry said wearily. He went on, not giving Draco a chance to respond. "So, all right, I'm the only one who can get rid of Voldemort and end this war, but I don't have a bloody clue as to how I'm supposed to actually do that. No one else seems to know how I'm supposed to do it either."

"Doesn't Dumbledore have any ideas?" Draco asked quietly. "I don't like him much, but he is a powerful wizard," he admitted.

Harry snorted. "You know, I talked to the old coot after the meeting. I don't think he has any idea either. When I asked him about it, he just said when the time comes, I'll know what to do.” Harry parroted Dumbledore's words sarcastically. “My ability to feel love and pain is my greatest strength and it's what sets me apart from Voldemort." 

"Do you think he's still hiding something from you?" Draco asked. "It certainly wouldn't be the first time."

Harry closed his eyes as he thought about that question. "I don't think he is. We've gone our rounds about hiding important information." He snorted. "Probably why he pushed me to explain the Death Eater meeting to the Order tonight."

"So if even he doesn't know . . . ," Draco trailed off.

"Exactly," Harry said bitterly. "Even Dumbledore doesn't know what this 'power the Dark Lord knows not' is. Somehow, I don't think ability to feel love and pain are going to cut it. So I have no clue what power it is I supposedly have. It doesn't matter if the Dark Lord knows or not, if I don't even have a clue."

"We'll get it figured out somehow, Angel," Draco said soothingly.

Harry sighed heavily. "Sorry, I guess I'm just letting it get to me tonight. I'm frustrated because no one's really doing anything, but there's not much anyone can really do."

"There's a lot you can do," Draco snapped. So much for soothing tones. "And you're doing it. You're training. You're training half the school to be able to defend themselves, while uniting the school in the process. You've turned all the Slytherins away from the Dark Lord's clutches. Bloody Hell! You've essentially become a spy even! We've gone over all of this—many times."

"I know," Harry said defensively. "I'm just tired of it all. I want to fucking end it."

"Yes, we all want you to end it," Draco said wryly. "Unfortunately you can't at the moment, so we continue doing what we can to protect everyone in the meantime."

"We?" Harry questioned, eyebrow raised.

"Yes, we," Draco retorted. "You prat. Trying to turn me into a bloody Gryffindor—protecting and saving people."

Harry started laughing. "I appreciate that you're in this with me, but you will _never_ be a Gryffindor."

Draco smirked at him. "You're right. I'd never make a good Gryffindor, but you make a damn fine Slytherin."

"Thank you," Harry said with a smug grin.


	27. Chapter 27

The next several days were still incredibly busy for Harry and Draco, but at least none of their activities involved Voldemort, for a change. Aside from regular classes, they had plenty of schoolwork to catch up on, DA meetings to run, and plans to be made for them. Harry still had training sessions with his father, which Draco was now attending as well, especially since Lucius was sticking around more. Draco had to resume his Quidditch practices as well. 

Harry wasn't on the team, and usually he spent that time working on his lessons for the DA. But this was the first practice since Draco had figured out who Harry really was and Draco had talked him into going to the pitch with him, despite his protests. 

Harry had tried explaining that he couldn't use his broom because everyone would recognize it. Draco overruled that by borrowing an extra broom from one of the other Slytherins. 

Harry then tried saying that someone was sure to recognize his flying style. Draco overruled that by pointing out that no one had seen Harry fly for months, and no one would be looking to compare them anyway. 

Harry stopped at the edge of the pitch. "Draco, I really don't think I can do this," he said quietly. 

Draco turned to face him. "Why, Angel?" he asked. "Why can't you get up there and fly? I know you love it."

"That's precisely why I can't go up there. I love it too much," Harry said as he turned away from the pitch. "I can't afford to waste my time out flying, when I could be training, studying or planning lessons. There are just more important things that need to be done."

Draco grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "Dustin Snape, you get your arse on that broom and up in the air," he commanded. 

He leaned forward to whisper in a quiet but dangerous tone, "I don't care what you call yourself. You. Belong. In. The. Air." He punctuated each word with a poke at Harry's chest. 

"Fine," Harry snapped. He swung onto the broom he was holding and took off. 

Harry was angry at Draco, and being angry meant that he started flying around, pulling off a bunch of dangerous stunts. He flew at a reckless speed across the pitch and ducked his head to shoot through the middle goal hoop, before swinging back around. He flipped over upside down to avoid a Bludger in play from the Quidditch team that was supposed to be practicing. 

He was cursing Draco for making him come up here. He didn't belong here. He wasn't part of any Quidditch team any more, and he certainly had never been a part of the Slytherin team. He didn't pay much attention to the players as he swerved his broom effortlessly around and through them. The Quaffle appeared in his path and he caught it and threw it angrily back at one of the chasers, before pulling up higher to get away from all the players. 

Harry ducked as he heard another Bludger coming up behind him. _What the hell was wrong with the stupid Slytherin team anyway?_ he thought to himself angrily. The stupid team never had been able to get it together enough to play a fair game. And where was Draco, because Harry spotted the Snitch and of course Draco was nowhere near the damn thing. Harry chased it down, following its path of loops and whirls until he caught it and threw it angrily back towards the middle of the field. 

He was angry and he put on another burst of speed before he dropped the front of his broom and dove straight for the expanse of green pitch far below. The pull of gravity added to his speed. He fell and fell until, just feet from the ground, he snapped the front of his broom back up and swung into a graceful arc to climb back into the air again. 

He didn't stop his cursing of Draco and the Slytherin Quidditch team as he continued alternating his moves, first a burst of speed, then a dive, then another burst of speed before performing some other difficult move. Back through the players, an angry toss of the Quaffle through the goal hoop because some stupid player couldn't find their other chasers. A corkscrew loop to avoid another damn Bludger.

He didn't want to be up in the air with this idiotic Quidditch team. He wasn't on a Quidditch team anymore, and Draco knew this, damn it! All of a sudden, Harry slowed down. Draco did know this. Harry flew up above the other players again and lay down on his broom to think about this as he floated above the pitch. 

As he thought about it, he was beginning to think that Draco knew him better than he realized. Harry could make time to fly, but being on the pitch at Hogwarts brought home the fact that he couldn't play Quidditch anymore. He may have been missing his friends this year, but he also missed Quidditch. 

Harry maneuvered to lie on his back with the broom underneath him. He put his hands behind his head, perfectly balanced on his perch up in the sky, and looked up at the clouds floating above him. He thought about how it felt to be up on a broom again, and had to admit that it felt good. In fact, it had been exhilarating to soar through the pitch, letting off steam. 

He sighed. He was still unhappy that he couldn't play Quidditch anymore, but he had to admit that he was glad Draco had forced him to get back into the air again. Maybe they could just go flying now and then, just the two of them. It would certainly be a good release with all the pressures he was under this year.

He slowly rolled over on his broom so he could see below him again. He spotted Draco down on the pitch, with all the rest of the team surrounding him. Harry wasn't sure what was going on, but they sure seemed excited about something. Draco saw Harry looking and waved him down. Harry watched as Draco motioned all the others to quiet as he approached.

Harry looked at him suspiciously.

"Are you still angry with me, Angel?" Draco asked.

"Not really." Harry replied cautiously.

"Feel good to be up in the air?" Draco asked this time.

"Yes," Harry said.

"Did you get a chance to perform a few of your moves?"

"Yes."

"Did a few Bludgers get in your way?"

"Yes."

"Quaffle get in your way, too?"

"Yes."

"Happen to catch the Snitch?"

"Yes. Someone wasn't bothering to be around to catch it like they were supposed to," Harry retorted.

"Hmm," was Draco's noncommittal reply.

"What are you going on about, Draco?" Harry was beginning to get angry again. Draco could be such a prat sometimes, especially on the damn pitch.

Draco just ignored Harry's question and asked another one of his own.

"You often float around on your broom like that?" he asked Harry, in that same calm and conversational, infuriating, tone. 

"Yes, I learned that it helped me to practice my balance in other areas besides flying," Harry grit out. "It's no big deal."

Draco finally blinked at that. Harry felt satisfied that he'd finally broken through this attitude of Draco's.

"Um, Angel, I don't know of anybody else that can float around on their broom like that. Certainly _no one_ at this school," he emphasized.

It was Harry's turn to blink. Then he snapped out of it. Well then, at least no one was likely to recognize his flying style at least. He hadn't been able to do that before last summer, and it seemed that not many people could. It was another one of those things that Harry hadn't known was unusual when he'd been practicing it over the summer.

Draco had another question for him.

"Do you feel alive?" he asked.

Harry glared at Draco. The prat really did know him too damn well it seemed. Draco had got him into the air on purpose. Harry slowly broke out into a grin.

"Yes, I do," he said. "I feel incredible after flying again."

"Good." Draco smirked at Harry. "Because the team has a proposition for you. We want you to play as our Seeker this year, and I'm going to play as one of the Chasers." He shrugged. "You were actually good with the Quaffle though, too, so you could probably even play Chaser if you really wanted to."

Harry was completely and totally gobsmacked. "You tricked me into performing a tryout," he spluttered.

"That is the Slytherin way," Draco drawled.

Harry hadn't the foggiest clue as to what he was supposed to say. Never in a million years had he ever expected to play for the Slytherin team. He had been so focused on Draco all this time. He finally looked around at the other players. They were all looking excited and hopeful, he realized. 

He looked back to Draco, as he fingered the Slytherin crest on his robes. "But, Draco," he whinged. How could he play for Slytherin?!

Draco smirked even more. He knew what Harry's problem was. "Yes, Angel, it would be an honour to have you play on our Slytherin team," he said, placing the slightest emphasis on Slytherin.

Harry grabbed hold of Draco's arm and pulled him away from all of the others. 

"I am actually proud to be a Slytherin now, but this idea is just so," Harry waved his arms wildly, "so _wrong_." 

Draco was enjoying this immensely. For one, it was hilarious to watch Harry get so worked up about playing for Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. But also, and actually more important, Draco had to admit, was that it really wasn't wrong at all. It couldn't be more right. Harry belonged in the air, and he deserved to be on a team.

Draco had watched Harry as he'd flown. He'd known that Harry was good, but Harry was even better now than he had been. Maybe it was that practice with his balance that Harry had mentioned. Whatever it was, Harry had a beautiful grace in the air. The broom became a part of him and Harry swept along the air currents, rising and falling with the flow. Add the speed and all of the difficult moves, and it had been amazing to watch. 

And, of course, aside from the actual flying, Harry had performed the Quidditch moves flawlessly. Even the Bludgers that came from behind, Harry would dodge with what seemed to be effortless ease. It had been no surprise to Draco that Harry had spotted and caught the Snitch with no problems. It _had_ been a surprise, however, to watch Harry catch and throw the Quaffle. He'd never seen Harry interact with the Quaffle before. But Harry had barely paid it any notice as he swooped amongst the other players.

"Draco, this idea is just _wrong_ ," Harry whinged again. "Ron would absolutely kill me for ruining their chances."

Draco gave an evil smile. "No, you know he wouldn't kill you, but, ahhhh, the revenge for me would be so sweet."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You would think of it that way. You are entirely being a Slytherin right now," he accused.

"But, of course," Draco drawled.

"Well, what happened to my loving and supportive boyfriend?" Harry mock demanded, hands on his hips.

"He's leaving for the duration of Quidditch practices and games, but will be available at all other times," Draco said easily.

Harry broke down laughing. "Oh, Draco, you're being so unfair."

"I know." Draco smirked, and then put on his best aristocratic airs. "But if you are going to be in Slytherin house this year, I feel it is my duty to make sure that you play for us. I would be neglecting my duty as ambitious, devious and cunning Slytherin if I did not procure you, as the best there is, to play for us."

Harry shook his head ruefully at Draco's antics. "I suppose you're right about that.” But then he got serious. "Aside from how odd this idea feels to me, it really doesn't feel right to be taking your position on the team. I don't give a fuck about who wins the Quidditch cup, if it means you losing your place."

Draco got serious as well. "I wouldn't be losing my place on the team. We were short a chaser this year anyway with Montague gone." He paused. "You wouldn't happen to know what happened to Montague last year, would you?" he asked Harry suspiciously.

Harry waved him off. "Later.”

Draco was still eyeing Harry, trying to figure out what he knew, but he continued. "Anyway, you know that Graham Pritchard took his place this year. He does okay, but he'll be the first to admit that he really needs some more work. As captain, I've already talked to him. He says he's willing to drop his position, as long as he can still train with the team and play as backup if necessary. He's only a third year so, no matter what, he'd be able to play his last three years after we've left school." 

"That's all fine and good, but _you_ are supposed to be the Seeker," Harry said. "You said yourself that I can play Chaser, so I'll do that"

Draco gazed at Harry thoughtfully. "I don't think so. You were the youngest Seeker in over a hundred years for a reason. That's the position _you_ are meant to play."

"But," Harry tried to protest, but Draco stopped him by placing a finger against Harry's lips.

"No, I'm captain and I say that you will be our Seeker. I've been working with Graham so far this year, trying to help him, and I'm far better at it than he is. I know the other Chasers better than you do and work well with them." Draco shrugged. "Maybe I should have been a Chaser all along, but we really didn't have anybody better than me to play Seeker. You know Slytherin house had to find _somebody_ to go up against Gryffindor's Golden Boy who could handle the pressure," Draco sneered.

Harry gave Draco a sly look and slipped his tongue out of his mouth to taste the finger that was still on his lips. He sucked Draco's finger into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it. Draco moaned at the sight of his finger sliding into Harry's mouth. 

Harry pulled Draco up against his body and released his finger to capture Draco's lips instead. He bit lightly at Draco's bottom lip, then slid his tongue across to soothe. Draco groaned and parted his lips, sending his tongue out to reach Harry's. The kiss was delicious and both boys groaned their pleasure. Harry slowly pulled back. 

He looked into Draco's beautiful gray eyes, that looked silver now as they were glazed over with lust. "Do you think you can handle the pressure now?" Harry asked Draco, as he pressed his hips into Draco's. 

"Oh, gods," Draco groaned. "You will take me back to your room to help me relieve my pressure." He glared at Harry.

Harry brushed his lips against Draco's again briefly. "It would be my pleasure, love." He stepped back, smirking. "But first you need to end this practice. There is still a team over there waiting.”

Draco turned smartly on his heel, striding confidently back over to the others. "I have _persuaded_ him to join the team as our new seeker.”

The team cheered at the news.

Miles Bletchley, their keeper, slapped Harry on the back. "Good to have you on the team."

"Thanks," Harry said with a grin. 

"Yeah, okay," Draco said, tugging on Harry's arm, and trying to get him to start moving. "But Angel and I have some unfinished business we have to attend to now, so practice is over."

Harry smirked, but allowed himself to be dragged back to the school, with the rest of the team smiling knowingly behind them.

~*~*~*~

"Gods, Draco," Harry said irritably, as he was practically dragged along the corridor. "Why are you in such a hurry to get to the DA meeting today? It's not even supposed to start for another hour."

Draco smirked at Harry over his shoulder, still holding Harry's hand and pulling him through the crowded hallways. "I need to talk to Weasley," he said, his eyes gleaming with mischievous excitement.

Harry stared at the back of Draco's head in confusion, reluctantly allowing himself to be pulled through the corridor. "Why are you so anxious to talk to him? It's not like we've really got anything special going on. You're never this excited to talk to Ron unless you're causing trouble."

Draco smirked at Harry over his shoulder again, and Harry's eyes widened with sudden comprehension. "Oh, no! Draco, you can't!" Harry exclaimed.

"Oh, yes I can, Angel!" Draco declared.

Suddenly, Harry was the one pulling Draco through the corridors instead, dragging Draco along until he found an empty classroom. Harry swiftly put up silencing charms then whirled to face Draco. Harry glared at him. The prat was standing there with arms crossed over his chest, and Harry just wanted to smack that smug smirk off his face. Harry wasn't feeling particularly fond of old times, but he was feeling thrust back into the routine of old standoffs, regardless.

"Draco, you can't go gloating to Ron that you've got me as your new Seeker.”

"And why can't I?" Draco asked, quirking an eyebrow. 

"Because," Harry snapped irritably, unable to come up with any better response, his mind whirling with visions of how Ron was going to take this news when he found out—both now and later.

Draco looked at him incredulously. "That's all you can say? You, of the passionate speeches? You, who used to be able to argue with me on a regular basis? You, who can talk Slytherins into following Harry Potter? And now all you can say is 'because'?" he asked, his voice ringing with amusement.

Harry glared at him. "Gods, you can be a right prat sometimes."

Draco rolled his eyes. "And you dragged me in here to tell me this?"

"Arg! Draco, I shouldn't even be playing on the Slytherin team!" Harry exclaimed. "Now you want me to sit back and listen to you gloat to one of my best friends that you've lured me over to play on your team instead of Gryffindor?"

"Weasley isn't going to know that I've actually lured you over," Draco retorted.

"I know you're not going to tell him that," Harry said impatiently. "But I'm going to know it and you're going to know it."

"Yes, and I'm quite enjoying it," Draco drawled, smirk firmly in place. "Although, I'm actually quite regretful that I can't smear it in Weasley's face that Harry Potter is the new Seeker for Slytherin."

Harry was highly irritated with the fact that Draco did actually look and sound regretful over that fact. "I'm glad you're enjoying this so much," Harry ground out. "You're not the one likely to lose one of his best friends over this."

Draco was beginning to look regretful for a different reason now, not that Harry noticed as he continued on, finally finding his voice and better words than 'because' to describe how he was feeling.

"Already there's so many reasons Ron is going to be angry with me when he finds out," Harry said. "I'm dating Malfoy, Snape's my father, and then there's the fact that I haven't told him that I'm actually right here when he's worried about me being off who knows where. I honestly have no idea if Ron is going to still want to even be friends with me."

Harry was studiously avoiding Draco's gaze, his voice quieting as he talked more to himself than Draco now. "Ron lives for Quidditch. First year, that's what he saw in the Mirror of Erised—him being Quidditch captain and holding the cup. I haven't even been around him nearly as much this year and I've heard him going off about his team. He's disappointed that I'm not there playing, especially since he's team captain this year. He's been training Ginny hard to take my place, and he's already ticked that he hadn't been training her over the summer because they thought I'd be back."

Harry looked at Draco sadly. "I'm honestly happy overall to play on the Slytherin team. It feels extremely odd, but it also feels damn good to be able to play Quidditch again. It probably makes me sound like I've got a split personality, but I feel a strong affiliation with both Gryffindor and Slytherin. Either team could win the Quidditch cup and I'd be happy. I'm just upset about Ron.”

"Well, what about my feelings?" Draco snapped, understanding where Harry was coming from, but irritated that Harry seemed to be taking Ron's feelings more into consideration than his own.

Harry gazed at him and smiled slightly. "I know this is really important to you, too. And when it all comes down to it, I've already agreed to play for you. I know it makes me sound conceited, but I'm sure Slytherin can win with me playing for Slytherin, and _not_ playing for Gryffindor. You come first for me now, Draco. If playing for your team and helping you win makes you happy, then that's what I'll do. I just don't like the fact that I have to do it at Ron's expense," he said sadly, looking at the ground again. 

"Angel, you know that I have to gloat about this, even if you don't want me to," Draco said.

"Why?" Harry sighed, his thoughts already having brought him around to the answer, but asking anyway.

"Because it's expected of me," Draco said simply. "If I don't gloat about having a superior team, it would be highly suspicious, even despite the friendlier terms this year," Draco continued. "You can't afford for me to act that out of character." 

"I know," Harry said quietly.

"Besides," Draco said, his haughty tone returning. "I do have a superior team to him now, and it's about time Slytherin got a chance at winning the Quidditch cup."

"Arg!" Harry started laughing despite his frustration. He grinned up at Draco. "You're always going to be a fucking prat when it comes to Quidditch, aren't you?"

Draco did his best to look affronted, despite the fact that his lips were trying to curve into a smile. "I did tell you that your loving and supportive boyfriend would be disappearing during all Quidditch practices and games. Maybe I should have added discussions of Quidditch to that list."

"Do you think you could try to tone down your enthusiasm at least a little?" Harry asked dryly. "I'm not sure I have much of a chance of Ron still being my friend after all this, but I'd like to keep at least a slim opportunity of him accepting me and my boyfriend."

Draco turned more serious again. "It may take him a while to get over all the shocks. Merlin knows it took me a week," he said, rolling his eyes. "But when it comes down to it, he doesn't deserve to be your friend if he can't accept you for who you are."

Harry shrugged uncomfortably. "But I've changed so much."

"So what?" Draco snapped. "He's getting along well enough with you, even in your new persona. Even now, he's definitely more friendly with you than he is with me. It'll probably take him a while to reconcile that Dustin Snape is the same person as Harry Potter, but considering that he accepts who you are now as Dustin Snape, I think he'll get over it."

Harry sighed. "I hope you're right."

"Although, I'm not so sure he'll be any happier with me," Draco said dryly. "Even after he gets past his shock."

Harry quirked a small smile. "No, I think he'll be right ticked that you've stolen me away to Slytherin. Hmmm, maybe I can just place all the blame on you when Ron finds out, especially this Quidditch stuff."

Harry laughed, and ducked, as Draco tried to knock him on the side of the head. "Yeah, because that'll really help Weasley accept me as your boyfriend," Draco said.

Harry looked at him curiously. "Do you actually want Ron to accept you?"

Draco shifted a little nervously, looking highly uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Weasleys come along with Harry Potter, and I know that. I've known that since first year actually.”

Harry shrugged, unapologetic for turning down Draco's friendship first year when Draco had been such an obnoxious little git. They'd already had that discussion, and he knew Draco was actually more irritated with his own behaviour back then, than he was irritated with Harry at the moment. Not that he'd probably ever admit that.

"I've never been fond of Weasleys, but I'd rather they accept me, or you're just going to get stuck in the middle," Draco admitted, although he was glaring at Harry, as if  
Harry had forced that admission out of him. 

Harry smiled, obviously very happy with Draco's admission, and he decided to let his boyfriend off the hook. He let the statement slide without comment and turned it back to the Quidditch issue. "So, you think by rubbing it in that you've got me playing on the Slytherin team, this will be a good way to get Ron to accept you?"

Draco's smirk slid back onto his face. "I've told you. Quidditch is an entirely different issue and has absolutely no bearing on our relationship. Friends or boyfriends have absolutely nothing to do with the game," he declared haughtily.

Harry chuckled lightly. "You know, I really hope the day will come when I see you and Ron debating Quidditch. Although, I don't want to actually be anywhere near the two of you when you argue over every little thing about the game. It'll be quite the bonding," Harry teased.

Draco's face twisted into a grimace. "Yay, me and Weasley bonding over Quidditch. Can't wait," he said sarcastically.

Harry laughed and moved to wrap his arm around Draco's waist. "Come on. You can save the bonding for later, and for now you can have your fun lording it over Ron that you've discovered an outstanding Seeker."

That mischievous gleam returned to Draco's eyes. It wasn't exactly malicious like it would have been in the past, but that gleam declared that Draco was definitely going to enjoy this. Draco gave Harry a quick kiss, and then slipped from Harry's arms. Moments later, Draco was back to tugging on Harry's hand as he pulled him through the corridors, anxious to meet up with Ron. Harry's laughter rang through the hallways as he allowed himself to be pulled along.


	28. Chapter 28

Harry was watching Draco and Ron closely. So far things were going as well as could be expected with Draco's announcement that Harry was going to be playing Seeker. Draco had managed to keep his gloating toned down a bit, meaning he hadn't actually thrown any insults about Ron or the Gryffindor team, simply boasting about his own team.

Ron had managed to keep his temper down fairly well, so far at least. Ron had thrown a few insults though, making snide comments about Draco getting his boyfriend on the team and the Slytherins never playing fairly. Harry was really pleased when Draco managed to let them slide. Draco had simply smirked, stating in his superior manner that Harry had performed a try-out fair and square and certainly hadn't needed to be given special treatment.

Yes, overall, it had been going well enough. Unfortunately, Ron seemed to have finally got over his disbelief and realized that he had more competition now.

"Why'd you need a new Seeker, anyway?" Ron snapped. "It was bad enough competing against you, Malfoy."

Draco quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "Did you just compliment me, Weasley?"

Ron looked horrified, realizing that was exactly what he'd just inadvertently done.

"You did compliment me," Draco crowed in triumph. "It's nice to know you consider me such good competition."

"Well, you've never been as good as Harry," Ron snapped irritably. "He's beat your arse every time."

To Ron's astonishment, his statement didn't anger Draco. Instead, Draco smirked in satisfaction. 

"I remember how Potter flew the last time I played him," Draco drawled lazily, happily dragging out this moment. "And my angel here can fly better than that.”

Harry was somewhat surprised to realize that the way Draco had stated it, it was the complete truth. Harry and Draco knew his flying skills had improved since the year before, but Ron didn't. Ron hadn't really seen Harry fly since that fated Gryffindor/Slytherin match when, ironically, Harry had got banned from Quidditch afterwards because of fighting with Draco.

"No one flies better than Harry," Ron said angrily. "He was the youngest Seeker in a hundred years for a reason, Malfoy."

"Angels know how to fly," Draco drawled.

Ron looked disgusted and Harry glared at Draco. "Draco, you do realize that I still think you're awfully corny sometimes with this angel fascination of yours?" Harry asked in bemused irritation. 

Draco lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug, completely unapologetic. "Think what you like," he declared. "Everyone knows that angels can fly. You are my angel. I watched you fly out there on the pitch today like you were born in the air—your flying was completely and totally natural. It all fits."

Harry rolled his eyes, but didn't comment on Draco's logic. Draco was as tenacious with this angel fascination as Moody was with his paranoia. It tended to embarrass Harry, but he had to admit, if only to himself, that he was getting used to it, and he was pleased Draco called him that.

Harry snorted to himself. Maybe he was just pleased that Draco was actually using a nice nickname for him instead of all the names he'd called him in the past, like potty and scarhead. Harry smiled to himself as he glanced at Draco. He certainly didn't have a problem with Draco claiming him as his own and, if Draco wanted to persist with this angel idea, then so be it.

Draco had smirked in satisfaction when he realized Harry wasn't going to respond again, and turned back to face Ron.

Ron was not nearly as accepting of this little flying angel theory of Draco's. "Bloody hell! What is with you and this angel kick? Dustin is human just like everyone else, but you'd think you worshipped the ground he walked on with the way you act," he said in disgust.

Draco glared icily at Ron. "And what if I do?" he said dangerously. "You still worship Potter, and you haven't even seen him for months."

"I don't worship Harry," Ron shouted. "But he deserves it for all that he does. You'll never be as good as him."

"You say you don't worship Potter, but here you're still spouting off about how good he is," Draco scoffed.

"Because he _is_ good!" Ron yelled. "He's better than you'll ever be, ferret face!"

"Where do you get off calling me names, Weasel?" Draco spat.

"I'm going to hex you into next week!"

"I'd like to see you try," Draco snarled.

"Enough!" Harry shouted, stepping between the two of them. This had gone far beyond arguing over Quidditch now. In fact, they were arguing over him, though Ron didn't realize it. Draco _did_ know, and Harry shot him a nasty glare for taking this so far. "For Merlin's sake, you two are being utterly ridiculous. No one is worshipping anyone.”

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Ron yelled. He finally pulled his wand, but before he'd even brought it up fully to point at Harry, he had dozens of wands trained on him from all the members of the DA that had been steadily trickling into the room.

And Draco's wand was one of them. "Don't even think about it, Weasel," Draco snarled dangerously.

"What the bloody hell?!" Ron exclaimed, not particularly intimidated by Draco, but astonished at all of the wands now trained on him.

Harry stepped back, away from the both of them. Draco and Ron were now looking at him somewhat nervously. Although, Harry was fairly certain that he was the only one who saw the hints of nervousness in Draco, considering his aristocratic masks had fallen back into place.

Ron had dropped the hand holding his wand to his side, seeming to realize that he'd overstepped big time. Dustin was very much the leader of this group of hundreds of students, and everyone knew it. 

At this moment, everyone was silent, wands put away again, as they waited for Harry.

"This room is supposed to be free from any, and all, house rivalries. There isn't supposed to be any fighting amongst each other in this room, only training to fight against Voldemort and his followers," Harry said, his voice very low and very dangerous. Every single person in that room was reminded quite forcefully that he was Professor Snape's son. 

Many in the room flinched as much from Harry's obvious, barely contained, fury, as they did from his mention of Voldemort. Harry registered the flinches and realized he had the attention of everyone. Finally pulling out his wand, Harry slashed it almost violently, swiftly creating a silencing bubble around the three of them. 

"You two are leaders in the DA and are supposed to help set an example for everyone else," Harry continued, glaring icily at both Ron and Draco. "If you two want to fight over Harry Potter, then you will at least do it outside this room."

Harry directed his glare at Ron. "Draco is _my _boyfriend and you will _not_ go about calling him names—here or anywhere else—and you will respect our relationship."__

__Harry's intense glare was then directed at /Draco. "Ron is our partner in running the DA and you will _not_ go about calling _him_ names, either. In addition, you will respect his friendship with Harry Potter."_ _

__He was so fed up with the senseless rivalry. "At this point, I don't give a fuck if the two of you like each other or not, but if you're going to be effective leaders, then you bloody well better start respecting each other," he said, his voice still very low and very dangerous._ _

__"One more thing," he continued. "You two will leave me out of your little Quidditch spats. Yes, I'm on the team now as the new Seeker and I fully intend to play competitive, but friendly, games— _on the pitch_. I've heard plenty of stories about the taunting between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and Harry Potter and Draco, in particular. You will _not_ transfer over that rivalry to me. You two are team captains, so act like it."_ _

__By the time Harry was through saying his piece, Ron was managing to look both sheepish and sulky at the same time. Draco, on the other hand, was glaring angrily at Harry, his cheeks slightly flushed._ _

__"I can't believe you're treating me like a child and trying to tell me how to act," Draco spat angrily._ _

__Harry's nostrils flared in his anger. "I find it interesting that it's different words, but pretty much the same thing Ron said to me just a few minutes ago."_ _

__Draco's eyes widened marginally with realization and Harry gave him an evil looking smirk._ _

__Harry glared at the both of them. "You're both right, and I don't technically have the right to tell either one of you how to behave. If you two want to fight and call each other names, then fucking have at it. Just leave me out of it, and _keep it out of this room_." With that said, Harry spun on his heel and stepped out of the silencing bubble, effectively breaking it in the process._ _

__He left both Ron and Draco behind him and got the meeting started finally. Overall, it was a subdued group and everyone's concentration was severely compromised as they kept watching Ron and Draco shooting glares at each other._ _

__Harry ignored them both, but finally called the meeting short, frustrated by the lack of attention on everyone's parts. As everyone slowly filed out of the room, he collapsed into the chair behind the desk at the front of their makeshift classroom. His head dropped to the table with a loud thunk._ _

__He couldn't figure out how things had deteriorated so fast. One minute it was a fairly friendly argument about Quidditch and the next . . . well, the next minute they'd been arguing over him. Harry just couldn't even figure out why. All he knew was that he was fairly certain that Draco and Ron had actually been in agreement, despite the fact the Draco knew it and Ron didn't._ _

__Both of them had got caught up in the same old petty fights. What was it about Quidditch that brought that out? Or was it mainly him? It wasn't until they'd started arguing about Harry Potter that it deteriorated to the name calling again._ _

__It was too bad that Hermione had been running late today, or she would've helped derail Ron before it had escalated so far. Hermione could certainly care less who played Quidditch. The second Harry had dismissed class, he'd seen her drag Ron aside. Harry was absolutely positive Ron was getting an earful right now—or would be as soon as Hermione dragged the full story of what happened from him._ _

__Harry felt Draco come up behind him and drape himself over Harry's back, leaning over him to whisper in Harry's ear. "Do you know how sexy you are when you're angry?"_ _

__Harry shivered slightly, his body responding to Draco's nearness, the warm breath ghosting over his ear, and Draco's hands running lightly along his arms. He was still angry with Draco, but his body was clearly willing to forgive him._ _

__Harry snorted softly, his mind not nearly as willing to simply forgive. "I'm a Slytherin, Draco. I recognize your diversion tactics," he muttered into the table top._ _

__Harry could feel, as much as hear, Draco laugh quietly. "Are you trying to say we have to actually make up before we can have the make up sex?"_ _

__Harry turned his head so he could look at Draco, his face only a few inches away. "Why'd you have to take it so far?"_ _

__Draco closed his eyes and his face tightened. He pulled away and Harry sat up to face him. A quick glance around the room showed Harry that everyone was gone now except for Ron and Hermione, who were obviously arguing, but Harry couldn't hear them. Hermione must have put up a silencing bubble around them, like Harry had done earlier. He wasn't surprised when he heard Draco cast the spell to put themselves into another silencing bubble._ _

__He watched them for a few moments, thinking that he'd been right about what would be happening between the two of them right now. Ron was gesturing wildly, his face twisted up angrily again. Hermione was tight-lipped at the moment, letting Ron rant and get it out of his system. Harry knew the routine and, as soon as Ron slowed down, she was sure to tear into him._ _

__Harry sighed heavily. At least Hermione was dealing with Ron and Harry didn't have to deal with him _and_ Draco. _ _

__"You know, she's going to start laying it on him at any moment now," Draco drawled casually._ _

__Harry glanced up and realized that Draco had been watching Ron and Hermione, too. "Yeah, she's letting Ron blow off steam, and then she'll start lecturing him about how badly he screwed up."_ _

__Draco didn't look away from Ron and Hermione. "He didn't actually screw up as badly as I did, though, did he?"_ _

__Harry sighed. "Well, he has no idea how eerily the two of you were actually in agreement," he admitted quietly._ _

__Draco snorted. "I can't believe I was arguing with him, both of us extolling the greatness of Harry Potter."_ _

__Harry rolled his eyes. "I suppose I should be thankful you seem to think so highly of me," he said dryly._ _

__"I admit, I understand better Weasley's protectiveness over the years now," Draco said quietly._ _

__Harry snorted with self-derision. "Yeah, and there's a reason you always called me Perfect Potter—because everyone's always spouting off like I can do no wrong."_ _

__Draco smirked at him. "You're not perfect, Angel. You've still got far too much Gryffindor in you to ever be perfect."_ _

__Harry chuckled lightly. "I think I'm actually going to take that as a compliment."_ _

__"You would," Draco said, rolling his eyes, but Harry knew he was amused._ _

__Harry looked back over to Ron and Hermione, where Ron was now cringing as Hermione lashed into him._ _

__"Why did you have to take it so far?" Harry asked again quietly._ _

__Draco exhaled heavily. "Old habits die hard, I guess. I just wanted to gloat a little about having a new Seeker. I didn't mean to get into the name calling and threats with him again."_ _

__"No one will be able to accuse you of not behaving like people expect you to. Way to go helping me keep my cover,” Harry said sarcastically._ _

__Draco winced. "I didn't mean to make this more difficult for you."_ _

__Harry sighed wearily. "You probably helped in one way at least. If your fight with Ron helps keep Hermione, or anyone else, from becoming suspicious, then so be it."_ _

__"You were right, though, that Weasley and I are leaders of the DA and captains of our Quidditch teams, and we should be acting like it," Draco admitted quietly._ _

__"Your fight really set the group back today," Harry said. "No one could concentrate on anything, trying to figure out what was going to happen between you and Ron. And me," he added._ _

__"I'll try to keep future fights where they belong, in the corridors," Draco said dryly._ _

__Harry looked up at him and smirked. "That would be quite helpful."_ _

__Draco moved to straddle Harry's lap, where he was still sitting in the chair. He rested his forehead against Harry's. "Look, I really am sorry," he whispered. "I know how important the DA is, for all of us." He paused, closing his eyes for a moment. "I also know how important Weasley is to you. I'll try to behave better around him."_ _

__"That's all I can ask.”_ _

__"So does that mean we can get to the make up sex now?" Draco asked, smirking at Harry._ _

__"Not here," Harry protested, his gaze flicking to the side, where he could still see Ron and Hermione arguing._ _

__"Why not?" Draco asked, dipping his head to nip at Harry's neck._ _

__Harry automatically tipped his head, exposing more of his neck to Draco, which Draco greedily took advantage of. As Draco proceeded to suck at his neck, Harry grasped Draco's hips, pulling him in closer._ _

__He moaned softly. "Draco, I'd rather take this back to our room," he said, his words a direct contrast to his actions._ _

__Draco pulled back and smirked at him knowingly. "You're all right with us having sex in front of our Slytherin friends. You're even all right with a major snog session in front of our fathers. But you have a problem with doing anything in front of your goody-goody Gryffindor friends?"_ _

__All Harry could do was blink at him, having not realized until Draco pointed it out that he did feel more uncomfortable in front of Ron and Hermione. He had to wonder if it was because he was uncomfortable since they didn't know who he really was, despite being his best friends, or if Draco was right and they did tend to be a little more goody-goody._ _

__Glancing up to see Ron looking at them with mild disgust pretty much gave Harry his answer. Harry didn't want to fool around with Draco in front of his friends if it was going to be just one more thing that they were going to be upset with him for. He didn't like Ron looking at them with disgust._ _

__Harry sighed as he dropped his head to rest on Draco's shoulder for a moment, while Draco dropped the silencing spell surrounding them. He had to wonder if he would ever have Ron accept him when he found out._ _

__Harry was to be a little startled, and amused, when Ron actually spoke, though. It seemed Ron's disgust didn't actually have much to do with them or what they were doing._ _

__"How come me and Malfoy both screw up, but he gets a snog session and I just get lectured?" Ron asked, disgusted that he'd got the lousy end of the deal._ _

__Draco and Hermione snickered quietly, while Harry laughed outright._ _

__"Is that your way of saying that you two are seeing each other now?" Harry asked, grinning widely at his two friends. Even Draco looked at them with new interest, curious as to their answer._ _

__Hermione flushed lightly, but Ron turned a bright red. "Yes, he finally decided to ask me to go with him. He asked me right after Dumbledore announced the ball over the holidays," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes._ _

__Harry was really, really wishing he could tease Ron about the whole business with Krum and the Yule Ball two years before. He was happy to see that Ron had finally asked Hermione and got his act together. Draco had no reasons to hold back, though._ _

__"It's about time you asked her out, Weasley," Draco drawled. "The whole school's been wondering if you were ever going to."_ _

__"The whole school hasn't been wondering about us," Ron protested, blushing an even deeper red. "You haven't heard anything, right, Dustin?" Ron pleaded._ _

__"Um, 'fraid I have, Ron," Harry admitted, trying to at least tone down his grin. "You two are pretty obvious, even if I hadn't heard some of the stories."_ _

__"What stories have you heard?" Hermione asked, wincing slightly._ _

__Harry cheered inwardly that Hermione gave him an opening. "I heard that Ron sulked around at the Yule Ball because you ended up going with Victor Krum," Harry teased. "And I understand that was two whole years ago."_ _

__"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed. "Even Dustin's heard of it."_ _

__"I told you, it's not a big secret that the whole school has wondered when you'd finally prove you were a brave Gryffindor and ask her out," Draco said. Harry felt so proud that Draco managed to keep most of the sneer out of his voice._ _

__"Congratulations to the both of you," Harry said warmly, smiling at them._ _

__"Thank you," Hermione said wryly, but she smiled up at Ron._ _

__"Thanks," Ron said, grinning widely again, but then his grin faltered. "I still want to know why Malfoy got a snog session and I didn't," he pouted._ _

__"Obviously Dustin is more forgiving than I am," Hermione retorted. "Seeing how he's snogging Malfoy and congratulating you on our relationship instead of chewing the both of you out for disrupting things today."_ _

__"Besides, I got in trouble, too," Draco admitted ruefully, surprising even Harry with his admission. "Seems we're supposed to behave like leaders in here from now on."_ _

__"Yeah," Ron agreed, sighing heavily._ _

__Everyone knew that was the closest these two were likely to get to apologizing to each other. Harry tightened his arms around Draco, recognizing that Draco was trying to make things up to him._ _

__Draco smirked in the suddenly uncomfortable silence that had fallen. "I was told that it would be helpful when I suggested we keep fights to the corridors where they belong."_ _

__Ron and Hermione both stared at him incredulously for a moment. Then Ron burst out laughing. "Sure thing, Malfoy. We'll keep the fighting to the corridors."_ _

__"Ron!" Hermione screeched. "You just got through agreeing with me that you would try to avoid fighting with Malfoy anymore."_ _

__"But I gather Dustin said it was okay," Ron protested._ _

__Ron was looking confused, Hermione was looking highly aggravated, Draco was smirking in satisfaction, and Harry, poor Harry, was looking resigned._ _

__"Dustin Snape," Hermione snapped his name out, hands on her hips. "Did you tell Malfoy that it was okay for him and Ron to fight in the corridors?"_ _

__"I said it would be more helpful than them fighting in our DA meetings," Harry said wearily._ _

__"Why would you tell him that it was okay at all?" Hermione screeched._ _

__"I didn't tell him that," Harry retorted, getting irritated with her. "He knows I don't want them fighting, but I'm not his keeper. I told both him and Ron earlier, if they want to fight, then they can have at it, as long as they leave me out of it and keep it out of this room when we're trying to run DA meetings."_ _

__"How can you condone their behaviour?" Hermione snapped angrily._ _

__Harry took a deep breath. "Draco, do you plan on actually fighting with Ron in the corridors?"_ _

__"No," Draco answered honestly._ _

__"Ron, do you plan on fighting with Draco in the corridors?" Harry asked._ _

__"Not really," Ron said with a shrug._ _

__"Then I now pronounce this argument done and over with," Harry stated regally._ _

__Draco and Ron were looking at him like he'd gone mental. Hermione's lips were twitching, however, trying to suppress her smile._ _

__"Yes, my mother had Muggle friends," Harry answered Hermione's unspoken question about how he knew about Muggle wedding vows._ _

__"What does your mother having Muggle friends have to do with anything?" Ron asked in bewilderment._ _

__"It means Dustin just got me to drop this argument," Hermione said, her laughter finally breaking through._ _

__"How?" Ron asked._ _

__"Who cares how he did it, if she's going to back off now," Draco stage whispered to Ron._ _

__Ron's eyes widened. "Good point." He turned to Hermione. "So, does that mean I get a snog session now?"_ _

__Harry couldn't contain his laughter any longer, and it wasn't long before both him and Hermione were collapsed against their respective partners, peals of laughter echoing through the large Room of Requirement. They happened to look in time to see Ron and Draco exchange a commiserating glance, which only prolonged their laughter, tears streaming down their cheeks._ _

__"It is traditional," Harry managed to gasp out to Hermione, and she gave up on clutching at Ron, instead clutching her stomach as she collapsed to the floor, completely overcome by her laughter after all of the previous tension._ _

__"What the bloody hell is wrong with them?" Ron asked Draco._ _

__Draco shrugged. "I have no fucking idea," he said, getting up off of Harry's lap and watching him warily as he fell to the floor alongside Hermione._ _

__Both Harry and Hermione were still laughing and periodically pointing at Ron and Draco, only to burst out into more laughter._ _

__"I think the stress has got to them," Ron declared._ _

__Draco was nodding in agreement. "Hate to actually agree with you on something, Weasley, but I think you may be right."_ _

__"Do you think if we call a truce, it'll keep them from going loony?" Ron asked, half seriously._ _

__"I don't know," Draco said warily, glancing sidelong at Ron. "I thought we'd already pretty much declared a truce."_ _

__"Yeah, I suppose," Ron said, still staring at his girlfriend rolling around on the floor._ _

__Draco slowly turned to face Ron. The thought of what he was about to do made him feel slightly nauseous, but he knew it'd make Harry happy._ _

__Ron looked at him suspiciously. "What are you doing, Malfoy?"_ _

__Draco closed his eyes for a few seconds and took a deep breath. If this didn't work, he was going to kill Weasley first and then Harry. Well, he thought maybe he'd simply torture Harry for awhile, since he did want to keep him around._ _

__"I'd like to officially declare a truce between us," Draco said, sticking his hand out._ _

__Ron stared at him incredulously for a moment, but then he slowly reached out and shook Draco's hand. "Truce," Ron said simply._ _

__They both let go quickly and wiped their hands on their robes as they turned to look at Harry and Hermione again._ _

__Harry and Hermione had both managed to stop laughing and were beaming bright smiles at the two of them. Harry stuck his hand out for Draco to help him up off the floor and Hermione was doing the same with Ron._ _

__Hermione kept a hold of Ron's hand and began pulling him to the doorway. "Come on, Ron. You've more than earned your snog session."_ _

__Ron got a huge grin on his face and looked back over his shoulder to thank Dustin and Draco, only to see Draco already receiving the passionate snog he'd earned._ _


	29. Chapter 29

The next month flew by quickly. Both Harry and Draco were extremely busy, but overall, they fell into comfortable routines. They had regular classes and assignments, DA meetings and planning, Quidditch practices, and training with Severus, not to mention time they made sure to spend with their friends and each other.

Lucius was popping in more often to spend time with Severus, and both Harry and Draco made time to spend with their fathers. They were both happy to see Lucius and Severus giving each other another chance, and things seemed to be going well for them.

Meetings with Ron and Hermione to discuss DA plans were going a lot smoother than they used to. Ron and Draco couldn't exactly be called friendly, but they were both obviously trying to at least not deliberately antagonize each other.

Their truce even managed to survive the Slytherin/Ravenclaw game, where Ron got to see Harry fly. Suffice it to say, Ron wasn't happy to see his dreams of winning the Quidditch cup that year, almost literally, fly out the window.

Admittedly, there was a bit of taunting in the corridors between Slytherins and Gryffindors, but it wasn't at the level of animosity that it used to be. But inside the DA room, there was never a word said.

Ron did his best to not to be too sulky, and Draco tried not to gloat too much. Harry was happy enough that they were at least trying, and they did manage to leave him out of it.

In some ways, Harry had more of a problem when they watched the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff game. To keep Harry from automatically cheering whenever Gryffindor scored, Draco kept pinching him. At least he did until Harry threatened to hex him. Then Draco took to kissing him or running his hand up Harry's thighs so that Harry's breath would hitch and he'd be unable to yell and cheer.

Harry ended up getting his own private celebration party in his room with Draco—beginning immediately after the game. Harry quite enjoyed the reward he received for Gryffindor's win and it was well worth the suffering he'd endured during the game. It was beside the point that he was a Slytherin now and hadn't even played for the Gryffindor team.

Overall, things really were going well, and that's what was beginning to bother Harry. Things seemed to be going almost too well.

Voldemort was lying low, which Harry was happy with, but it made him nervous not knowing what he was planning. Lucius and Severus hadn't been able to discover anything. Not that there weren't any concerns regarding Voldemort.

For Severus it was a rather difficult time, because he wasn't able to deliver any news to Voldemort regarding Harry Potter's absence. Voldemort was becoming more and more furious that no one had been able to find Harry Potter. Severus took the brunt of the punishment much of the time, simply because Voldemort considered the fact that he was closest to Dumbledore, so he should be able to figure something out. 

Also, there was the fact that Dustin was supposed to be finding out what he could, and yet had nothing to report either. So, Severus ultimately took both of their punishments on more than one occasion. It was after the second time that it happened, that Harry approached his father and Lucius.

Harry and Draco were curled up on the couch, as was their custom, and Severus and Lucius were sitting in the chairs flanking either side.

"I want you to teach me how to handle the _Cruciatus_ curse," Harry declared to Severus.

Severus quirked an eyebrow. "You have known how to effectively cast that curse for a long while now."

Harry poured a glass of scotch and passed it to his father. Severus accepted the glass, eyeing Harry warily.

Harry took a deep breath. "I know I can cast it," he admitted. "What I need to know is how to fight after I've had it cast on me."

Severus suddenly understood why he'd been passed the glass of scotch, and downed it immediately, before casting his patented death glare on Harry.

"Are you fucking mental?" Draco exclaimed, before Severus had set his glass down again.

Harry cocked his head as if thinking about it. "Nope. Don't think so," he answered.

"No," Draco said firmly, glaring at Harry. "I'm not letting anyone subject you to Crucio."

Harry lifted a brow. "I'm not giving you a choice.”

Draco's eyes flashed angrily. "Why the fuck would you subject yourself to a curse like that—on purpose?"

"As I said, so I can learn how to fight after it's been cast on me," Harry said.

"I am not casting Crucio on my own son," Severus ground out. "Simply because of some misguided notion that it'll help you fight better."

"Fine," Harry said, then turned his head towards Lucius, who was gazing at them all calmly. "Lucius, would you help me with this training?"

"No," Severus said forcefully, not allowing Lucius to answer. "I won't allow Lucius to subject you to _Cruciatus_ either. You don't understand what it's like, Harry."

Harry glared at his father. "Oh, don't I? We all know very well that it's pretty much Voldemort's favourite curse, and I've already had to battle him once when he's cast it on me. In fact, Lucius was there at the time and saw it all."

Harry turned his glare on Lucius. "Tell me, Lucius. Do you also think I've gone 'mental' with this idea, or can you see the reasoning behind it?"

Lucius nodded his head in acknowledgement. "It is not unreasonable to presume that you may have to battle at some point after having been subjected to the _Cruciatus_ curse," he said solemnly. "If you truly wish to train in this manner, then I will help you."

"Thank you," Harry said, nodding in return.

Severus and Draco were now glaring at Lucius, for daring to go along with Harry's idea.

"How can you approve this foolish plan?" Severus glared coldly at Lucius.

"It is a painful means of training, but by no means is it foolish, Severus," Lucius said. "The boy has a point. If he can train his body to his will in order to handle the _Cruciatus_ curse, then he will be in a much better position when facing the Dark Lord."

"It's simple torture, is what it is," Severus ground out.

"Father! How can you agree to torture him?" Draco shouted furiously.

Harry was sitting back and happily sipping his scotch at this point, letting the others argue it out. He'd spent a lot of time thinking about this and knew very well what he'd be subjecting himself to. Lucius had already agreed to help him, so it was simply a matter of getting his boyfriend and father to go along with the idea.

"It is torture," Lucius agreed. "But it will be under controlled circumstances in training. I don't believe for a second that you will not both be right there the entire time making sure of that fact," he said to Severus and Draco.

"Fucking right I'll be there!" Draco shouted at his father without thinking.

Lucius quirked an eyebrow at his son, causing Draco to flush slightly, but he didn't back down. 

"There will be no need to be there," Severus said icily. "Because it will not be happening in the first place."

Lucius shifted his gaze to Harry, smirking lightly, indicating that it was Harry's turn to deal with them. Harry smirked back at Lucius, recognizing that Lucius had shifted things back to him. He dropped the smirk when he turned back to his father. Now would _not_ be a good time to irritate his father any more than he already was. 

"Father, I knew full well that you wouldn't like this idea, but I wasn't asking for your permission," Harry said evenly.

Severus' nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed in his anger. "You weren't asking for permission?" he repeated Harry's words in the form of a question. Not a good sign. Draco obviously recognized the danger and shifted back to be out of the line of fire.

Harry winced slightly but continued. "No, I wasn't. I was asking for you to help train me. This is about war against Voldemort, and I'll play every possible advantage I have."

"You consider subjecting yourself to torture an advantage?" Severus ground out.

"Part of effectively fighting an enemy is using their strengths and weaknesses against them," Harry snapped irritably, losing his calm and his patience in the face of his father's stubbornness. Unfortunately, now was really not a good time to snap at his father and he took a deep breath to calm down again before he continued speaking.

"Voldemort is a cruel, sadistic bastard, but he's also fairly predictable," he said evenly. "You know, right now, that the next time Voldemort summons you, you're very likely going to be subjected to the _Cruciatus_ curse, along with whatever other torture he might choose to inflict upon you."

"This is not about me," Severus said angrily.

"Sure it is," Harry retorted. "It's about you and every other bloody person in the Wizarding world." 

Harry's expression visibly shifted then, and when he next spoke, his voice was cold and steely, filled with determination. Suddenly he wasn't a sixteen-year-old arguing with his father; he was a young man truly preparing for war. "We all know I have to face Voldemort to save the bloody world. We also know Voldemort likes dishing out Crucio on a regular basis. It only follows that I'm likely to have to battle him or his followers while dealing with the aftereffects. As much as I don't particularly like the idea of subjecting myself to torture, I'd rather learn how to deal with it under favourable conditions, rather than when my life is on the line."

Severus sighed in defeat. "How is it that I allow you to talk to me into these foolish ideas of yours?"

Harry snorted in amusement, suddenly the sixteen-year-old teenager again. "Well, it might have something to do with the fact that I'm not really doing anything more than you are doing yourself," he retorted.

"I am not asking anyone to torture me," Severus said dryly.

"Aren't you?" Harry asked seriously. "Tell me what you expect to happen then, every time Voldemort summons you and you know you have no information to tell him about my whereabouts."

Severus' eyes widened marginally.

"Exactly," Harry said. "No, you don't technically ask for the torture, but you go, knowing that it will likely happen. You've learned to deal with it, because you've made that choice. I'm making the choice to learn how to deal with it, but I'm doing it on my own terms, not Voldemort's.”

Draco reached forward suddenly and pulled Harry back against him, wrapping his arms tightly around him. "You're a fucking idiot. I hope you know that," he snapped irritably.

Harry rolled his eyes, but twisted to give Draco a quick kiss. "Yes, love," he said dryly. "If I didn't know it already, I've got you to remind me."

~*~*~*~

"Do we have to go to Hogsmeade today?" Harry whinged. They were sitting down eating breakfast in the Great Hall, and everyone was discussing their plans for the day.

Draco shot Harry a glare. He knew why Harry didn't want to go. He'd had another training session with Lucius the night before, and it hadn't been pleasant. Harry was technically fine, but he was still a little stiff and sore. That's what happens when you have Crucio cast on you before participating in a duel.

"Would you rather stay here and work?" Draco asked maliciously, still angry that Harry was subjecting himself to this, and angry with his father for doing it.

"Merlin, Draco!" Blaise exclaimed. "Why do you got it in for Dustin so bad today?"

"Yeah, Draco, just lay off," Harry said warningly.

"I'd rather be laying on you," Draco muttered, his response almost automatic.

Blaise started snickering. "What? Dustin, are you suddenly not putting out for Draco?"

Harry and Draco both shot Blaise nasty glares.

"All right, all right," Blaise said. "Backing off."

"You two aren't fighting like you did before, are you?" Pansy asked suspiciously, although her tone reflected as much worry as suspicion.

Draco sighed in exasperation. "No, we're not fighting," he said irritably.

Both Pansy and Blaise stared back at him in disbelief.

Harry leaned over to whisper in Draco's ear. "Please, will you just let it go?" he pleaded.

"You're the one who started whinging about going to Hogsmeade today," Draco retorted.

Harry sat back in defeat. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Nothing more was really said by any of them through the rest of breakfast. In turns, Harry alternately looked either defeated or irritated. Draco looked either worried or angry.

A short time later, the four of them were trudging along the snow-covered path towards Hogsmeade, and still no one was saying much of anything. Pansy and Blaise kept darting anxious looks at the two of them, still having no idea what was really going on between Harry and Draco.

Draco stopped abruptly in the middle of the path. "Why am I always the one made out to be the bad guy in our relationship?" he asked, sounding sulky.

Harry, Pansy, and Blaise all stopped and turned back to look at him. Pansy and Blaise looked extremely wary about answering that question. Harry had no qualms about answering him, though. 

"Would you prefer it if I took a turn at being an obnoxious prick more often?" Harry asked dryly. "Sorry, but I've been a little busy taking the fucking idiot role."

Pansy and Blaise gaped at him, unable to believe that Harry had had the audacity to say that to Draco. 

Draco did not look at all pleased, but then to the astonishment of their friends, Draco smirked at Harry. "You're right. You're doing a much better job than I ever could in that role."

Laughing, Harry lunged at Draco, knocking him back into the snow and landing on top of him. 

"Hey!" Draco protested. "I don't want to by lying in a fucking snow bank where it's all cold and wet."

Harry dipped his head to nip at Draco's ear and swiped a warm tongue inside. "Would you prefer to be _warm_ and wet?" Harry purred seductively.

Draco abruptly switched tactics, and instead of trying to shove Harry off him, he was trying to pull him closer. Suddenly, they were involved in a full-scale snog session in the middle of a snow bank on the side of the path leading to Hogsmeade. Mouths met in an expression of worry, reassurance and forgiveness, along with a healthy dose of desire. 

"Do you two bicker with each other for the sole purpose of having make-up sex?" Blaise asked, sounding honestly curious.

Harry and Draco broke apart laughing. Draco shoved at Harry again, and Harry struggled to his feet before helping Draco up. They cast some drying spells and attempted to straighten themselves up again.

"No, actually, we don't," Harry said, his voice still laced through with amusement.

"Speak for yourself," Draco drawled, wrapping his arm around Harry's waist, pulling him close as they began to walk again.

Harry and Blaise both snorted in amusement, as Pansy rolled her eyes. "You would pick a fight, Draco, just so you could have sex," she said wryly.

"Why not, if it's working for me?" Draco asked.

"It's working for you whether you argue first or not," Pansy retorted. "You two have more action than everyone else I know combined."

"Hey, it's not my fault Angel has his own room and we use that to our advantage," Draco drawled lazily.

"You two don't even need a room!" Blaise exclaimed indignantly. "You were just snogging in a bloody snow bank, for Merlin's sake!"

Harry was snickering again. "He's got a point, Draco."

Draco shrugged with his free shoulder. "Sounds to me like they're just jealous."

"Bloody right I'm jealous!" Blaise exclaimed. "I want someone, too," he pouted.

"Who do you want?" Harry asked curiously.

Blaise blushed and Harry and Draco's eyes widened. "You do like someone," Draco said, sounding eager to pull the secret from his friend.

"Maybe I do, but I'm sure as hell not telling you who it is," Blaise retorted.

"Oh, come on," Draco wheedled. "You know we won't say anything."

Blaise snorted. "I know no such thing. You may be able to keep it between us, but you'll bloody tease me something awful. Besides, it'll never happen anyway."

Draco looked like he was going to keep pushing, but Harry cut in. "Do you like someone, Pansy?"

It effectively side-tracked Draco for the moment, as all three boys looked to her. "Not really," she said, shrugging lightly. "It's kind of funny, because until you came along, Dustin, everyone thought Draco and I were actually a couple."

Harry smirked at her. "Yeah, Draco told me," he said. Harry had already known, of course, but Draco had told Harry more about their supposed relationship that had never really existed.

"There isn't _anyone_ you like?" Blaise asked.

"Not really," she said again. "I just know that I want a relationship like Draco and Dustin. Although I could live without the exhibitionist factor," she admitted ruefully.

"Aw, come on. It's fun!" Harry declared with a grin.

"It does add its own thrill," Draco said, smirking at her.

"I'll stick to the voyeur side of things, thanks," Pansy said dryly, causing the three boys to laugh.

"Pansy's got a point, though," Blaise said, his voice sounding almost wistful.

Harry frowned at him in confusion. "A point about what?"

"You two just match each other so well," Blaise said with a shrug. "Even when you two argue, you guys seem to get over it fast . . . well, except for that one time. You two can insult each other like you did just a little while ago, and somehow it turns into foreplay."

Harry and Draco exchanged a knowing glance, smirking at each other. They were both highly amused at the idea that they'd just been engaging in foreplay for the last five years. No wonder they were all over each other now.

Thankfully, Blaise didn't notice their telling glance, as he was staring at the ground as he walked, and Pansy was busy watching Blaise. "Everything seems so natural between the two of you," Blaise said quietly. "I don't know how to explain it. You bicker and argue, but anyone can tell that you still love each other. I guess I've never really seen a couple act like that until I've seen you two. It'd be nice to have something like that."

Pansy nudged Harry's arm and nodded in Blaise's direction. Draco seemed to be following her line of thinking because he stepped over and Pansy looped her arm through his. 

"We'll meet you two in the Three Broomsticks in a little while," Pansy said airily.

Harry nodded as Blaise looked up startled, not having noticed this new pairing off. Blaise slowed to a standstill, staring in confusion after the pair that was currently sauntering off ahead of them. "Dustin?" Blaise asked.

Harry shrugged. "You want to just walk for a bit?"

Blaise sighed and nodded. "Sure," he said quietly.

They walked in a companionable silence, Harry steering them unconsciously towards the Shrieking Shack. It was about as private as they were going to get in Hogsmeade.

Harry dusted the snow off a large rock and sat down and, with a gesture, indicated that Blaise could sit beside him if he wanted to. Blaise did sit down, but he still didn't say anything for several minutes. Harry just waited in silence, wondering why his friend seemed to be so upset.

"I can't say anything to Draco," Blaise said, startling Harry with his abruptness. 

Harry shrugged. "You don't have to say anything to me either.”

"But I can tell you, though, can't I?" Blaise asked, although Harry didn't think it sounded like much of a question. Blaise seemed to already know the answer.

"You can trust me to keep your secrets, if that's what you mean," Harry answered anyway.

"Draco and Pansy know how to keep secrets, too," Blaise said, seeming to feel the need to defend his friends—their friends.

"But Pansy's a girl and Draco can be an obnoxious prick sometimes," Harry said easily.

Blaise finally laughed, relaxing a little. "Yeah, that about sums it up." He gave Harry a sidelong glance. "You won't laugh at me, though, will you?" Once again, it was more of a statement than a question.

"Blaise, you know if you need anything, that I'm here for you and I'll do whatever I can, even if it's just listen.”

Blaise gave him a rueful smile. "I know that. Obviously, Draco and Pansy know that, too, and that's why they took off."

"So what's the problem?"

"I like a Gryffindor," Blaise said on an exhale.

"Ah, well, then that explains why you don't want to tell Draco," Harry said with a wry smile.

Blaise winced slightly. "It gets worse."

"Who said it was bad in the first place?" Harry retorted.

Blaise stared at him for a moment, and then he relaxed a little. "I like Neville," he said expectantly, waiting for Harry's reaction.

Harry didn't disappoint him as he grinned. "I think Neville's a great guy. Ron and Hermione were right to recommend him for our DA group and he seems nice. Plus, he's quite good-looking."

Harry wasn't overly surprised by Blaise's admission. He hadn't known that Blaise was interested in Neville in a romantic sense, but he'd known that they were getting along well enough in the DA. They were both a part of Harry's smaller group within the DA, and were often paired together. 

Harry made sure to split into different pairings on a regular basis, so they could all be used to working with each other. It wasn't a practice that Draco was overly fond of, and a few others still tended to gripe once in awhile, but for the most part, everyone was working well together.

Blaise grinned back at Harry, but then his face dropped. "Yeah, well, it's not going to happen, though."

Harry had to be really careful here, and he knew it. "Why isn't it? Because of you, Neville, your family, your friends?"

Blaise gave him a rueful smile. "Try all of the above."

"Well, then, let's take one problem at a time," Harry suggested. 

Harry and Blaise sat there discussing love, school politics, war politics, families and friends. They made tentative plans. Part of those plans included inviting the upper year members of the DA to the 'Slytherin party' planned for over the holidays. If Harry couldn't help Blaise get together with Neville before the party, maybe the relaxed atmosphere would help encourage things. Of course, Blaise wanted Neville to go to the party with him to start with.

Harry made a couple of promises. One, he said he would try to find out how Neville felt about Blaise, and if Neville even liked boys. Harry thought Blaise and Neville would be great together, but he knew Neville would take some convincing to give Blaise a chance, even if he happened to like boys. Neville's experience with Slytherins was worse than Harry's in some ways. It would sure be a whole lot easier to convince Neville if he knew who Harry was, but Harry didn't want to go there.

Much to Blaise's relief, Harry also promised to deal with Draco. Blaise didn't know it, but Harry had a definite advantage when it came to talking with Draco about this. Draco did know who Harry was. If Draco could somehow call a truce with Ron more for Harry's sake than the DA or anything else, then maybe, just maybe, Harry could convince Draco to give Neville and Blaise a chance.

As teenagers, they felt love interests, friends and parties presented enough of a challenge. Unfortunately, they weren't exactly normal teenagers. Blaise was also concerned because he had no idea what he was going to do at the end of the year when summer came around. The upcoming holidays were a reminder that Harry had got him out of tough situation. 

It simply made Blaise start worrying about what would happen come summer. They knew that this was just a temporary postponement of the problems. It was a concern in itself, but it was also one of Blaise's worries about trying to pursue a relationship with Neville. 

Blaise wasn't sure what his future held. He didn't know if he could go home again. He didn't know if he would still end up having to perform the role of a Death Eater if he did go. Blaise was at the point that he didn't want to go home, but had no idea what else he could do. As much as he wanted to go out with Neville, he also didn't want to start a relationship only to put Neville in the position of being with a possible Death Eater.

It wasn't the same, but Harry sure as hell understood the worries about trying to start a relationship, or anything else, when you had an uncertain future. Harry listened, did his best to reassure, and promised that one way or another they'd come up with a solution before summer came.

They completely lost track of time, and how many warming spells they cast. They were simply busy planning and plotting. They both cringed when they saw Draco and Pansy walking up the hill towards them and realized how long they'd been sitting there.

"Oh, fuck," Harry muttered. "I just got Draco out of his pissy mood."

"I'm sorry," Blaise said sympathetically.

Harry sighed. "It's not your fault. Maybe Draco will just let it go," he said hopefully.

Blaise snorted in disbelief. "If he lets this go, then you've got him wrapped around your little finger more than I've realized. Draco doesn't like to be kept waiting, and I'd say he was a touch possessive."

"You think?" Harry asked sarcastically.

Harry went to stand as they approached, and groaned as his body protested after sitting there so long—and after being subjected to Crucio the night before. Unfortunately, Draco heard the groan.

"You've been sitting here this whole fucking time, haven't you?" he snapped. "So now you're even more stiff and sore after all that _training_ you did last night."

"Yes," Harry admitted quietly. Clearly Draco was still more upset about the torture Harry was subjecting himself to, rather than the fact that he'd been talking to Blaise all this time. When it came down to it, Draco was simply worried about him.

Blaise looked between Draco and Harry. "I didn't know you were already hurting, Dustin. We never should've been sitting out here in the first place," he said anxiously. "I'm sorry, Draco. I didn't mean to keep him so long."

"Did you get whatever problem you had sorted out?" Draco asked, snapping the question at Blaise.

Blaise blinked at him, not expecting that question. "Well, yeah, kind of anyway. We've been sitting here trying to make some plans."

"Not more plans," Draco muttered, closing his eyes for a few moments.

Blaise and Pansy looked confused, but Harry smirked at Draco, stepping forward to wrap his arms around Draco's waist. "It's all right, love," Harry whispered. "These plans aren't dangerous in any way."

"They better not be," Draco said, glaring at Harry.

Harry flashed him a bright smile. "Trust me, they're not."

Draco studied him for a few more moments, eyes narrowed. "Fine," he said finally.

"Thank you," Harry whispered, as he dropped his head to rest on Draco's shoulder. Harry felt, as well as heard, Draco sigh as his arms tightened around him. Harry smiled softly, knowing he was pretty much forgiven. 

He went to nuzzle his face into Draco's neck, causing Draco to yelp. "Merlin, you're bloody cold!"

Harry pulled back enough to look at Draco, and smile at him sheepishly. "I guess the last warming charm has worn off."

"Fucking idiot," Draco muttered, which simply caused Harry to grin at him.

Blaise and Pansy were both staring at them in amazement.

"So does this mean I can go back to the castle now, and soak in the hot bath like I wanted to do in the first place?" Harry asked hopefully.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Pansy went with me, and I've already got our clothes for the ball and did my other shopping while I was waiting for you, so we might as well."

Harry winked at him. "I'll make it worth your while," he said suggestively.

"Fine. Let's go then," Draco said, turning to head back immediately, without even bothering to say goodbye to their friends.

Harry glanced over his shoulder and wiggled his little finger at Blaise, grinning as he saw Blaise clap his hand over his mouth so his laughter wouldn't escape and alert Draco.


	30. Chapter 30

"Neville?!" Draco exclaimed incredulously. "As in Neville Longbottom?"

Harry sighed. "Yes, Blaise fancies Neville."

"That's almost as bad as –." Draco stopped abruptly, realizing what he'd been about to say.

Harry glared at him. "Yes, fancying Neville is almost as bad as loving Harry Potter, isn't it?" he spat sarcastically.

"Angel," Draco began.

"You know, it's a damn good thing you decided to call me Angel, or you would've given me away a long time ago," Harry snapped. "I just find it a little worrisome sometimes when you seem to act like we're two totally different people."

"I know who you are," Draco retorted.

"Do you?" Harry asked, eyes narrowed. "Sometimes I wonder."

"What do you expect?" Draco snapped. "It's a lot easier not to break your cover if I continue to act like you really are two different people. I have to spend the majority of the day acting that way. Is it really my fault if that carries over into the privacy of our room?"

Harry's anger evaporated and he collapsed back onto the couch. "I'm sorry. You're right," he said tiredly. "Hell, I have no right to complain anyway, since I swear sometimes even I'm beginning to lose track of who I am at this point. Only Father and Lucius ever call me 'Harry' and that's only in Father's rooms."

Harry shook his head, not wanting to think about it. "Anyway, we were talking about Blaise and Neville."

Draco collapsed onto the other end of the couch, his face twisted in a grimace. "Blaise really fancies Longbottom?" he asked, sounding hopeful that it wasn't true.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Come off it, Draco. This is why Blaise didn't want to tell you. He didn't want to listen to you freak out about it and then start teasing him unmercifully."

"I wouldn't do that," Draco protested.

Harry snorted disbelievingly. "Yeah, you would.”

Draco smirked. "Okay, so maybe I'd tease him a little," he admitted.

"Draco, please don't make me regret telling you," Harry begged.

"But this is _Longbottom_ ," Draco protested. "How can I _not_ tease Blaise?"

"Blaise is your friend," Harry snapped. "And _both_ of them are my friends. If there's a chance that they can make each other happy, then I'm all for it."

"But, Angel," Draco whinged.

"No, Draco. You're just going to have to play nice," Harry said firmly.

"I don't know how to play nice," Draco pouted.

Harry started laughing. "You know how to play nice with me."

Draco raked his eyes over Harry's body sprawled on the couch. "Yes, but I don't think you want me playing with everyone else that way."

Harry narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You better not even _think_ of playing with anyone else that way."

Draco smirked at him, even as he quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "Oooh, so you _can_ get jealous."

"I'm just stating the fact that you're mine," Harry said.

"And everyone thinks that I'm the one who is possessive," Draco retorted.

"That's because you are," Harry said dryly.

"You have a problem with that?"

Harry smiled at him. "Actually, no, I don't. It feels kind of nice belonging to you."

"Good." Draco smirked with smug satisfaction.

Harry rolled his eyes. "So, are you going to be nice to Blaise about this and are you going to help me try to get them together? It's not like you really have to do much besides just stay out of it and try to refrain from causing trouble," he said wryly.

"Do I really have to?" Draco whinged.

Harry smirked at him. "I thought you liked being rewarded for good behaviour."

Draco suddenly looked thoughtful. "Hmmm. You have a good point there," he drawled, once again raking his eyes across Harry's body.

Harry suddenly rolled off the couch and onto his feet. "Come on," he said, offering Draco a hand up. "I just need to ask my father something really quick and then we can head on up to the Room of Requirement."

"Do we really have to be there so early today?" Draco whinged, his mind certainly not on the DA meeting they were supposed to be going to, but following Harry regardless. 

"Well, we did decide not to hold DA meetings over holidays to give everyone a break, even though almost everyone will still be here at Hogwarts," Harry said reasonably. "I just want to get some extra work out of everybody before then."

"You're such a slave driver," Draco muttered irritably.

Harry sent him a wicked smirk over his shoulder. "We could arrange for me to be _your_ slave driver if you want," he said, as he reached for the handle to the connecting door to his father's rooms.

Draco's eyes widened in disbelief at what he was pretty sure Harry had just suggested. "Not even," he spluttered.

Harry winked. "Then your loss."

"Gods, Angel," Draco said, a little flustered. "Am I the only one who knows you're a kinky little bugger?"

Harry paused before opening the door and turned to chuckle lightly at his boyfriend. "I was kidding, Draco."

"Good," Draco said. A hesitation, then, "I think."

Harry laughed outright. "I don't want you as my slave, but I wouldn't mind having you at my mercy for a little while," he said silkily. "Maybe I should tie you to the bed at some point so I can have my wicked way with you."

Grinning at Draco's dropped jaw, Harry decided to let Draco think on that one and turned back to go talk to his father. Finally opening the door, Harry took one step into his father's sitting room, and froze.

Draco had already been following Harry dazedly, and his jaw dropped again when he saw what had frozen Harry in place.

Harry couldn't be positive, but he was fairly certain that the two men already in the room hadn't heard him and Draco enter.

Harry had never even remotely envisioned the sight he now saw before him, and with a very brief flick of his eyes at Draco beside him, he registered in the back of his mind that he was probably as goggle-eyed as his boyfriend. Both boys could only stare in utter silence.

Severus Snape was on his knees before Lucius Malfoy and, despite the open robes both were still wearing, it was obvious exactly what he was doing. Lucius was sitting, or rather, half lying, in his usual chair. His robes were open and spread on either side of him, shirt still on, but trousers, boots and socks had been tossed to the side.

As far as could be seen, Severus' robes were unbuttoned as well. Technically Harry and Draco couldn't tell if he was undressed any further than that or not, but judging from the movements, they were certain that Severus' trousers were at least partially undone and he was thrusting into his own hand.

The movements were timed precisely with Severus' head moving up and down on Lucius' hard erection. Harry refused to think about the fact that he was watching their fathers, feeling himself growing hard as he watched in fascination. He found it interesting that both men had their eyes tightly closed and, from the expressions on their faces, it was clear that both men were close.

Lucius' hands were fisted tightly in Severus' hair, his own head thrown back in ecstasy. "Sssseverussss," Lucius hissed.

Harry felt a shiver trail down his spine and settle in his groin, and he suddenly had a new understanding and respect for why Draco found Parseltongue to be so erotic. Harry swallowed unconsciously as he watched both men hit their climax.

Harry and Draco remained frozen in place as Severus pulled away and rested his head on Lucius' thigh. Lucius opened heavy lidded eyes and a half second later they were opened wide as his gaze fell upon Harry and Draco in the doorway.

Lucius casually pulled his robe together, well enough to effectively cover himself. "Severus, I do believe we have company," he drawled.

Severus' head whipped up and around until he spotted Harry and Draco. Immediately he flushed a bright red and scrambled to put his clothing in order.

Between Lucius' relaxed demeanour and Severus' uncharacteristic behaviour, somehow Harry and Draco were able to relax and unfreeze themselves. They watched in growing amusement as Severus attempted to do up the buttons on his robes in a hurry.

Harry snickered at his father's embarrassment. Harry wasn't nearly as embarrassed as maybe he should have been. Then again, he had no problem with getting off in front of his friends, either.

"So, Father," Harry began conversationally. "Do all Malfoys have their own unique flavour?"

Severus started spluttering and Harry was highly enjoying seeing his father at a loss for words and with the lack of his usual self-control.

Draco wasn't doing that much better than Severus, and was thinking his boyfriend was being one terribly brave, foolish Gryffindor at the moment.

Lucius was smirking, obviously enjoying himself as much as Harry, and he quirked a brow in question.

"I'm just curious," Harry said, with a casual shrug of his shoulders. "I just know that I love discovering and enjoying every flavour Draco has to offer. He's far more delicious, and has much more variety, than a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.”

Harry's words didn't help Severus regain control at all, and he was staring at Harry, rendered completely speechless.

Draco was choking and staring at Harry incredulously, unable to believe that Harry had dared to say something like that in front of their fathers.

Lucius, on the other hand, was now smirking in smug satisfaction. "Of course, Harry," he drawled. "All Malfoys have a superior flavour to most."

Harry nodded his head in thoughtful agreement. "That makes sense."

Severus and Draco were now gaping at both Harry and Lucius, unable to believe this ridiculous conversation was taking place.

"You do realize that Snapes are also far superior to most?" Lucius asked conversationally.

Harry tilted his head to the side as if contemplating this idea. "Really? I admit that I haven't pondered this from Draco's perspective." He cast a sidelong glance at Draco.

"Angel, I am _not_ discussing your flavours with my father," Draco hissed, his cheeks beginning to flush pink.

Lucius and Harry both snickered at Draco's words and his growing embarrassment. Harry was enjoying this immensely. It was a very rare occasion, indeed, when he could manage to render his father speechless and embarrass Draco. Admittedly, it was a bit of an odd conversation, but Harry was highly thankful that Lucius had been playing along.

"Harry, why are you even here in the first place?" Severus finally ground out. "It was my understanding that the two of you were to be in the Room of Requirement for the afternoon."

Harry perked up at the reminder. "We were going, but I just wanted to ask you if that new curse you were teaching me the other night was one the Ministry considered legal or not. I'll be teaching it to my DA group regardless, but I prefer to be able to tell them whether they could get in trouble for using it or not."

"It is generally considered to be dark magic and is far from legal," Severus said dangerously.

"Okay, thanks," Harry said, his lips twitching as he tried desperately to contain his amusement. "I guess we'll be going, then."

"Get out!" Severus bellowed, seeming to have finally regained his equilibrium.

Harry grabbed Draco's hand and made a break for it, but not without sending a smirk in Lucius' direction first. He could hear Lucius' laughter as he slammed the door behind him and Draco. Harry collapsed onto his bed, howling with laughter. 

"Gods, Angel, you are in so much trouble now," Draco said, shaking his head in disbelief, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Nah, your father will be calming him down," Harry gasped out, finding the whole situation totally hilarious.

"He's going to kill you," Draco insisted.

"He can just consider it payback for all the times he's humiliated me in potions class over the years," Harry said, still sniggering. "And yes, I plan on telling him just that—after he calms down again—much later—maybe tomorrow—when Lucius is around."

"I can't believe I was watching my father," Draco whinged.

"I know," Harry admitted. "But it was awfully hot."

Draco slowly smirked. "It was, wasn't it?"

"Does this mean we're sick and twisted?" Harry asked, his tone curious, but not disgusted.

Draco frowned. "I don't know."

Harry was frowning now, too. "I suppose, in a way, it's kind of like watching ourselves twenty years from now."

Draco pulled a face. "That's just . . . ," he trailed off, unsure of how to finish that sentence.

"Yeah," Harry said in agreement.

Draco looked at Harry curiously, and a bit nervously. "Angel, will we still be together in twenty years?"

Harry sat up and kissed Draco tenderly. "I want to be," he said softly.

"Me, too," Draco agreed, smiling gently in return. Harry absolutely adored that sweet smile. 

"I love you, Draco," Harry whispered, not wanting to break this moment.

"I love you, too, Harry," Draco whispered in return, still smiling that gentle smile.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise, and Draco smirked at him. "Just pointing out that, yes, I do remember who you are and I do know exactly who it is that I love."

"Thank you," Harry said, smiling at Draco. "I needed to hear that today."

"I knew that," Draco drawled.

Harry shook his head ruefully. "What would I do without you, Draco?"

"Be lonely, miserable, sexually frustrated and bored?" Draco suggested.

Harry started laughing as he made to stand up. "Gods, I'm certainly never bored with you," he admitted.

"Hey! Aren't you feeling a little sexually frustrated at the moment though?" Draco asked, attempting to snag Harry's arm before he got away.

Harry dodged him, backing away laughing. "Yes, but we've got to get going. Everyone's going to be wondering where we're at by now."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Likely they won't be wondering. They'll know what we're doing," he said dryly.

Harry looked interested. "How fast do you think you can be?" he asked calculatingly.

~*~*~*~

It was another thirty minutes before they finally walked into the Room of Requirement, where their group was currently working without them.

"It's about time you two showed up," Ron said snidely. "You're the one who wanted this meeting, Dustin."

"And it's not like we don't all know what you've been up to," Blaise added, not looking too happy either.

Harry and Draco exchanged a glance and, much to the astonishment of everyone there, they both flushed pink.

"Holy Merlin," Blaise breathed. "What have you two been doing?"

"I'm not sure I've ever seen either of them blush," Pansy whispered.

"I didn't think anything could embarrass Dustin," Ron commented curiously.

"You two haven't started going kinky on us, have you?" Blaise teased.

Harry smirked. "Um, no, but we did talk about it," he admitted, and enjoyed seeing Draco flush a deeper pink as he turned a glare on Harry.

"What _did_ actually keep you two from getting here on time?" Hermione asked curiously, ignoring all the sexual innuendos. "You're normally both early."

"He _was_ dragging me up here early," Draco admitted.

"Well, then, why are you late?" Blaise asked eagerly.

Harry and Draco exchanged another glance. There was no way in hell that they were going to tell anyone what they'd witnessed. They were pretty sure their lives depended on it.

"Let's just say that we kind of ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time," Harry said finally.

"That doesn't tell us anything," Blaise pouted.

Harry and Draco both shrugged, almost in unison. "Too bad," Draco drawled. "That's all you're getting out of us."

Harry looked around at the group. This was Harry's own personal group, one part of the whole, with the DA. The group now included all of the sixth year Gryffindor and Slytherin boys, Pansy, Hermione, Ginny (the only fifth year), and Luna (the only Ravenclaw)—a total of fourteen people.

Ron, Hermione, Blaise and Pansy were the easy choices, considering they were Harry and Draco's best friends. They also had the abilities and the determination to do well. The four knew very well that with friends like Harry and Draco, they could easily be on the front line, so they trained to be on the front line.

Neville, Luna and Ginny had been a part of the Department of Mysteries fiasco and, as far as Harry was concerned, had proven their abilities when they successfully helped fight off the Death Eaters. Considering no one knew who he was, he'd had to rely on Ron and Hermione vouching for the three to get them into the group in the beginning.

Draco had argued with Harry over his choices for this group, but he understood the choices better now that he knew who Harry actually was. Didn't mean that Draco didn't still gripe about it now and then, but he understood.

Ron and Neville had argued to include Seamus and Dean. Harry knew them both well, and both Gryffindor boys seemed to have come back to Hogwarts this year with a new determination. Harry had already made up with Seamus the previous spring, but now his old friend seemed truly prepared to train and fight. Nothing like Voldemort popping up in the Ministry to provide some extra motivation.

Draco and Blaise had argued to include Crabbe, Goyle and Nott. If the Gryffindor boys were a part of the group, then the Slytherin boys should be, too. Harry had been a lot more leery of adding them, although he hadn't shown it. Even several months into the school year, he didn't know the three boys as well as he knew everyone else.

Everyone had thought it a little amusing at the beginning of the year when Draco essentially dropped his two henchmen. It wasn't that he wasn't still friends with them, but he definitely preferred going around with Dustin. Dustin and Draco pretty much went everywhere together—and everyone in the school knew it.

Dynamics had shifted when Dustin came into the picture, and Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott became their own little unit. Harry had been a little surprised to find that, although they still weren't the sharpest blokes around, they held their own fairly well. With Death Eaters for fathers, and a lot of home training, they did well in the group.

Harry was extremely thankful that he'd been able to talk them into fighting for his side rather than fighting by their fathers. Besides that, he'd never be best friends with them, but he'd learned to like them well enough. He certainly didn't wish the harsh life for them that they'd receive if they did become Death Eaters.

Fourteen people in the group. Six Slytherins, six Gryffindors, one Ravenclaw and then Harry. Technically, Harry made the seventh Slytherin as far as most of the group was concerned, but Harry had a real hard time remembering that fact when working with them. He considered himself both a Slytherin and a Gryffindor.

Not that it generally mattered much anymore which house they belonged to. They were simply fourteen students who took their training far above and beyond any of the other students, even the others in the DA. It had been tough for them all to adjust to the idea of working together, but now they had become a true team. 

With the exception of Seamus and Dean, they all either had Death Eaters for fathers, with all the experience that that brought, or they had personally fought against the Death Eaters. They all knew that Harry, and now Draco, was still receiving further training from Severus. 

It was an interesting dynamic. All the Slytherins knew Professor Snape was a Death Eater, but only Draco knew he was a spy. Ron, Hermione and Ginny knew that their professor was a Death Eater spy. Everyone knew that Snape was Dustin's father, but only Draco knew that Dustin was Harry. 

It was enough to scramble Harry's brain when he allowed himself to think about it. He'd be extremely thankful for the day when everyone knew the truth about both him and his father.

This was as much an offense group as it was a defence unit. As Harry looked around at the group, he was struck again by the feeling of how proud he was. The Slytherins were doing their best to turn away from a life of servitude, they were all willingly working together now, and they were all filled with a strong determination to succeed. There were so many reasons to be proud.

"Dustin? Dustin!"

Harry blinked and realized they were all staring at him expectantly.

"Glad you could join us again, Angel," Draco drawled, his tone filled with wry amusement.

"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly. "I was just thinking."

"Well, I say we need to quit yapping and start working, especially since this is supposed to be our last training session until after the holidays," Hermione said briskly.

"I can't believe the holidays are just a few days away already," Pansy said.

"Why aren't we training, if we're all going to actually be here?" Blaise asked. Harry and Draco didn't miss him glancing in Neville's direction.

"Yes, Angel, why aren't we training over the holidays, since there's so much _business_ to take care of?" Draco asked Harry, while smirking at Blaise.

"Draco," Harry said warningly.

"What?" Draco said innocently. "I'm just saying that without classes we'd actually have more time to work on things."

"I thought everyone would prefer to actually have a real break," Harry said, still glaring at Draco warningly.

Hermione was eyeing them both, and glancing at Blaise suspiciously, but when she spoke she addressed the issue they were discussing. "I think it's good to give the overall DA a break, but I think we should still keep working."

"Hermione," Ron whinged. "Don't we deserve a break from this, too? We're always working."

"This is important, Ron," Hermione snapped. "You know that."

"I do know that," Ron said sulkily. "But we've worked hard and I think a little break sounds nice."

"I think we should still train over the holidays," Neville spoke up quietly.

Everyone turned to him, many of them surprised that Neville had said anything.

"But why?" Ron whinged, not one of the ones who was surprised.

"Have you heard from Harry?" Neville asked quietly, obviously already knowing the answer.

Ron looked stricken at Neville's soft-spoken words. Neville swallowed and glanced nervously at the Slytherins, but he continued. "All Dumbledore will tell us is that Harry is fine and that he's training hard wherever he is. If Harry's willing to keep training to fight you-know-who, then I think we should keep training, too."

"Exactly," Hermione said, glaring at Ron, who was already looking suitably chastised. "Harry's had to give up everything this year and I don't think it's too much to ask for us to give up a little bit of our holidays."

Harry felt guilt squirming in his gut, and was thankful when Draco gently took his hand and gave a squeeze of reassurance. Harry had given up some things this year, yes, but he wasn't exactly off all alone, as his friends believed. In fact, he'd gained far more than he'd lost this year.

"But do we really have to train over the holidays, just because Potter is?" Nott asked, stupidly stepping into the situation. "It's not like we even know for sure if he's actually training over holidays."

Nott was a little shocked when he ended up with a whole lot of glares directed at him, from both Gryffindors and Slytherins. Harry and Draco were the only two who remained impassive, staying out of the whole ordeal as long as possible with the direction this discussion had taken.

The Gryffindors were a little shocked when Blaise rounded on Nott first. "You know as well as I do that Dustin is the only one who's given us a chance, but everyone knows that Potter's the one who's supposed to fight you-know-who. The fact that he's not here this year seems to only prove that. Now, I don't know about you, Nott, but I want to be on Potter's good side when he comes back around again," Blaise said angrily.

"All right, I got the message," Nott said, hands held up defensively.

"Yeah, well, you seemed to need the reminder," Blaise snapped.

"If we can help Potter, then maybe he'll give us a chance," Pansy spoke up quietly. "I say we train over the holidays."

Harry wanted to scream out to all the Slytherins that of course he'd give them a chance, and they didn't even need to train over the holidays for him to believe them. He said nothing, however, face remaining impassive as he listened to them.

"I think Harry will speak up for you and help you however he can," Hermione said softly, attempting to reassure the Slytherins.

"Are you sure, Hermione?" Ron asked quietly, glancing at the Slytherins, and Draco in particular. "He doesn't even know about any of this."

"Dumbledore knows, and I'm sure he's told Harry," Hermione snapped. "And even if he hasn't, you know Harry will support the Slytherins once we tell him what's been going on."

"But what about Malfoy?" Ron said irritably. "You know Malfoy has always been one of Harry's worst enemies, inside of Hogwarts, anyway."

Harry squeezed Draco's hand and felt the returning squeeze. He had to struggle not to turn and look at Draco, knowing that Draco was as highly amused by this turn of conversation as he was. If Ron only knew how Harry felt about Draco now.

Hermione looked a little unsure for a moment as she glanced at Draco, but then her face took on its determined expression again. "No, Harry's not like that," she said. "If you stop to think about it, Malfoy was the one who's almost always started things. I think Harry will be happy to give up the childish rivalries, and see the Slytherins on his side, rather than seeing them all turned over to Voldemort."

Harry found it interesting that she was unknowingly parroting his comments about being done with childish rivalries, which he'd said to Draco at the beginning of the year. He was thankful that her comments seemed to be reassuring the Slytherins a bit. 

"You're probably right," Ron admitted quietly. "Harry doesn't want to see anyone else killed in this war, even Slytherins."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Weasley," Draco said sarcastically, with a roll of his eyes, finally speaking up again. "It's good to know that Potter wouldn't want 'even Slytherins' to end up dying in this bloody war."

"You know what I mean," Ron snapped. "Harry doesn't have any idea that you're not his rival anymore. Last he saw you, you were threatening to kill him."

"It's in the past," Draco said dismissively. "We have different reasons for supporting Potter now, but I think we all seem to agree that we train over the holidays."

"Should we finally get to work then?" Harry asked, silently agreeing with Draco that it was more than time to move on. "This afternoon's been shot to pieces, but we can still get at least a little work done."

Everyone was nodding in agreement and Harry finally started teaching them the new spell that his father had taught him a few days earlier. He exchanged a knowing smirk with Draco when he informed the group that the spell was not a legal curse. He was only teaching it to them for use in battle.

All said and done, they got a fair amount accomplished in the time that was left to them and they made arrangements for the next time they'd meet.

Harry pulled Neville aside after the meeting, shooing Draco out the door with Blaise. Draco was smirking knowingly, but allowed Blaise to pull him out of the room. Harry shook his head ruefully as he watched them go. He knew very well that Draco was likely to be teasing Blaise unmercifully now.

"Dustin?" Neville asked nervously, bringing Harry's attention back to him.

Harry smiled warmly. "You haven't done anything wrong, if that's what you're worried about."

Neville looked slightly relieved. "I did wonder if I was doing that curse wrong or something and that's why you wanted to talk to me," he admitted quietly.

"No, you're doing a fabulous job in the DA," Harry said kindly. "What I wanted to talk to you about actually doesn't even have anything to do with the DA."

Neville was looking curious as well as nervous again now. "What do you want to talk to me about then?"

Harry looked at him a bit sheepishly. "Um, actually I was wanting to know how you felt about Blaise," he admitted.

Neville blinked at him uncomprehendingly. "Blaise?"

Harry was pleased, though, to see the faint flush on Neville's cheeks, and felt like he already had his answer. "I was wondering if you might be interested in him."

Neville blushed a much deeper red now. "I-I don't know what you mean," he stammered.

"You know, like going out with him," Harry said, managing not to roll his eyes. "But I wasn't even sure if you liked boys or not."

"I-I like boys," Neville stuttered his admission, extremely nervous.

"Do your friends know?" Harry asked curiously. It certainly wasn't known last spring by any of them, but then, no one had known about Harry either. In fact, Harry hadn't known it himself at the time.

"Yes," Neville said quietly, seeming to regain a little of his courage. "You kind of made it easier to admit it to them."

"Glad I could help," Harry said with a grin. He'd never thought much about the fact that he and Draco were a prominent gay couple in the school. In fact, they were pretty much The Couple in Hogwarts.

One thing he'd learned about the Wizarding world, it wasn't generally a big deal as it often was in the Muggle world. What Harry knew personally was that he wasn't real big on discriminating against people, whether it was for their sexual preference or whether it was because their parents were Death Eaters.

He was quite pleased that he'd unknowingly been able to help at least Neville be open about his sexuality. Well, maybe open wasn't exactly the right term, since a lot of people didn't know Neville liked boys, but at least his friends did. 

Neville was smiling at him shyly. "It was easier to tell my friends when no one reacted badly to seeing you two together."

"And if they didn't react badly to two Slytherins together, then they probably wouldn't react badly to you admitting you liked boys," Harry said knowingly.

"Yes," Neville agreed with a slight grin. "And that was before anyone trusted you yet with the DA."

Harry rolled his eyes. "It has been an uphill battle between the Slytherins and Gryffindors."

"Things are better now, though," Neville said earnestly.

"They are," Harry said proudly. Then he grinned at Neville. "So, would you consider going out with Blaise?"

Neville paled. "I-I don't think so," he stammered. "Er, I've got to go."

Harry stared after him in confusion, watching as Neville rushed out the door. Harry had truly thought Neville was interested in Blaise, if that blush had been any indication. Harry sighed wearily when he concluded that Neville probably had a problem with the fact that Blaise was a Slytherin. 

Trust had been slowly building up amongst the members of the DA, and overall interaction in the rest of the school was much better than it had been in the past, but it didn't mean that trust spilled over completely.

If Harry was going to try to get Neville and Blaise together, he was going to have to try to talk to Neville again and convince him that Blaise was all right. Harry was well liked as Dustin, and overall people seemed to trust and respect him. Hopefully, Harry could convince Neville that Blaise was a good bloke and could be trusted, too.


	31. Chapter 31

"What'd he say?" Blaise asked anxiously.

Harry didn't answer, first stopping to give Draco a kiss before lying down on the sofa with his head pillowed in Draco's lap. It was one of his favourite places to be, particularly when they were hanging out in the Slytherin common room. They had the area to themselves at the moment, ensuring them a bit of privacy.

"Now that you're comfortable, I wish you'd just go ahead and put me out of my misery," Draco drawled.

"Don't you mean Blaise's misery?" Harry asked curiously.

"No, I mean my misery. He's been driving me mental with his little anxiety attack. It's not even been any fun trying to tease him," Draco pouted. "I still find it hard to believe, but he's got it bad for Longbottom."

Harry laughed as Blaise glared at Draco. "Would you just shut up?" Blaise snapped.

Draco arched an eyebrow at his friend. "Getting a little touchy, aren't you?"

Blaise backed off. "Sorry. I just want to know what Dustin found out," he said sheepishly.

Harry took pity on him and finally answered his question. "I found out he likes boys and I think he likes you, but he didn't actually say that."

Blaise's eyes lit up hopefully. "Did he say he'd go out with me?"

"No, he didn't, so don't go getting too hopeful yet," Harry warned.

"But you said that you think he likes me, so why won't he give me a chance?" Blaise asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think it's because you're a Slytherin," Harry admitted.

Blaise frowned as he thought about that. Harry lay there, patiently waiting, enjoying the feel of Draco's fingers absently carding through his hair. He was a little surprised that Draco was being quiet now, but he took it as a good sign. Draco wasn't exactly fond of Neville, but he did seem to realize how important this was to Blaise. 

"Dustin, will you talk to him again?" Blaise asked suddenly.

"Why don't you talk to him?" Harry returned.

"I don't know if he'll listen to me," Blaise admitted.

"You're going to have to talk to him at some point, if you want him to actually go out with you," Harry pointed out. "Talk to him. It'll be a whole lot better coming from you than it will from me."

"Well, yeah, but I don't think I can convince him to give me a chance," Blaise said.

"What makes you think I can convince him?"

"Everyone trusts you," Blaise answered simply.

"No, they don't," Harry scoffed.

Draco snorted. "Yes, they do. You've earned the respect of almost every single person in this school, I think."

"He's right," Blaise said, nodding earnestly in agreement.

Harry frowned as he thought about it. He'd already figured that he'd have to talk to Neville again, so there was really no point in arguing with Blaise and Draco about it. But he still thought Blaise should be talking to Neville. He was the one who wanted to go out with Neville, not Harry. 

"Fine," Harry said. "I'll make you a deal. You try talking to Neville first. If you can't convince him to give you a chance, then we'll arrange a meeting and I'll try to convince him."

"Deal," Blaise said, grinning brightly.

Harry closed his eyes and wondered how he'd got himself into this. Little did he know that by the next evening, he'd be having that same thought regarding a different situation.

~*~*~*~

Harry and Draco had been a little nervous when Severus called them both into the sitting room earlier in the evening, but Severus hadn't wanted to chastise them for barging in on him and Lucius the day before. Instead, they'd been informed that Voldemort was summoning him.

Now, it was a couple hours later and Severus had brought Lucius back to the school. Thankfully, neither seemed to have been tortured this time, but both were looking very serious. Harry and Draco were waiting a bit anxiously for their fathers to tell them what exactly was going on.

"We have a problem."

Severus snorted. "That is quite the understatement, Lucius." 

"What's the problem now?" Harry asked impatiently. He didn't like the looks the two men were exchanging.

Lucius looked at Harry. "It would appear that you made an even bigger impression on the Dark Lord than we first thought. Even though he knows he can't Mark you, he has requested we bring the two of you to him so that he can test your skills, as well as your loyalty."

"Fuck!" Harry exclaimed, as he got up to start pacing the room.

"We just don't go," Draco said.

"It's not as simple as that," Harry said to him. "If we don't go, then we risk our fathers."

Draco paled. "You mean we actually have to go?"

"There's more," Severus said evenly.

Harry narrowed his eyes at his father. "What do you mean 'there's more'?"

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and lowered his head, but he didn't say anything.

Lucius put a comforting hand on Severus' shoulder and looked to Harry to answer his question. "We don't know exactly. As it was our sons in question, he was not forthcoming in what he has planned. However, he hinted that he had something special planned for the two of you."

"Fuck!" Harry exclaimed again.

"Indeed," Severus said wryly, as he watched his son pace the floor. 

"I don't want to be a part of anything that the Dark Lord has planned special for us," Draco said. He looked at Harry pleadingly. "Our fathers would be punished, but then surely that would be it, wouldn't it?"

Harry stopped and stared at Draco. "You don't want them punished, do you?"

"No!" Draco exclaimed. "I don't like the idea of them being tortured, but they would still have their covers, and we wouldn't have to do anything for Voldemort.”

Lucius spoke up. "I am inclined to agree with my son. I may not like it, but certainly I am used to _Cruciatus_ enough that I can accept that if it keeps him out of danger."

Harry gazed at Lucius knowingly. "Yes, we could go with that plan. Draco and I stay clear of any danger and you and Father keep your covers. I agree that I think you are too valuable to Voldemort for him to kill you for our disloyalty. We could probably come up with some fairly valid reason for us not going right now. But it wouldn't end there, would it?" he asked, already knowing the answer and not expecting an answer from either Lucius or Severus. "He would continue to torture the both of you every meeting until you brought us to him."

Harry gazed at his father sadly. "You are already taking the brunt of the punishment for not being able to find me—as Harry Potter. You do not need more punishment because I don't show up—as Dustin Snape."

Severus sighed heavily, nodding once in acknowledgement. He may have been acknowledging Harry's comment, but it didn't mean he was agreeing to Harry going back to face Voldemort.

Draco glared at Harry accusingly. "You knew we'd have to go back. That's why you said that about the cloaks before." He remembered what Harry had said before they had left for their first Death Eater meeting. "You said the cloaks could be useful again.”

"Yes," Harry said simply. "I figured they would come in handy again."

"Harry," Severus said. "I do not want you and Draco to go. I don't want you to be a part of any 'special plans' that he appears to have for the two of you. Lucius and I have been dealing with the Dark Lord for many years. We can deal with this."

Harry glared at him. "You know that doesn't even deserve a response from me," he sneered.

The other three watched in silence as Harry went back to pacing. Back and forth in front of the fireplace. They could hear him muttering to himself now and then, but couldn't make out what he was saying. 

Severus got up to gather the glasses and a bottle of scotch. He poured a glass for Harry, which Harry paused long enough to accept, toss down, and then hand the glass back before resuming his pacing. 

Severus then poured Lucius and Draco drinks, as well as one for himself. They sat back and sipped their drinks as they watched Harry. Each one was wondering what Harry was coming up with. In the end, Harry was the one who would have to face Voldemort and, in that sense, he had more right than anyone to make his own plans. Severus and Draco tended to have a little more difficulty in accepting that at times, but for now, they would wait and see what Harry came up with.

Finally, Harry flopped down onto the couch next to Draco. "Okay, Draco and I are going flying tomorrow and we're going to need Blaise and Poppy."

The others all blinked. 

"We're going to go flying?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Why do you need Blaise?" Severus asked.

"Is it wise to involve Poppy?" Lucius asked.

It was Harry's turn to blink. "Yes, I need them to help cover up Draco's absence. No one at the school would intentionally tell Voldemort that Draco wasn't really injured, but it could inadvertently get back to him if Draco isn't actually in the hospital wing." Harry looked at his father. "You have Polyjuice on hand, don't you?" he asked. "The new one that we made over the summer that will last several hours?"

Severus ran his hands over his face. "Harry, would you mind simply explaining your plan from the beginning?"

"Sure," Harry said. "Draco and I will go out flying tomorrow and stage an accident. We'll Polyjuice Blaise so that it will look like Draco is in the infirmary. I'll have to inform Poppy because she'll know there are no real injuries." He paused briefly and realized the others were all staring at him in astonishment.

"How do you know they will go along with you?" Lucius asked.

Harry shrugged. "Blaise is our friend and he'll back us up. He knows we somehow got him out of receiving the Dark Mark and he'll cover for us without question." He smiled softly. "Poppy is a sweetheart and she'll help me out if I ask her to."

"We are talking about the dragon lady that guards the hospital wing, aren't we?" Lucius asked.

Harry grinned. "Yeah, she can be pretty ferocious when it comes to her patients. But I've been in there so often over the years that I've got to know her pretty well. I finally decided to fill her in on who I really was because I never know when it might be necessary for me to be back in there again as a patient, and it would be better if she actually knew my medical history."

"Even so, you think she will cover for you in this way?" Lucius asked. "After all, it is really Draco that you would be asking her to cover for."

"Yes, she's on my side and, aside from telling me not to get hurt, she won't ask too many questions. She's used to dealing with Dumbledore and I think she's kind of put me in the same category of not asking many questions. Father and I have been supplying her with some additional potions that we've been improving, which help her out. Plus, I've got a team from the DA working with her on a regular basis. We help her and she teaches us. All this basically boils down to the fact that she knows who I am and what I'm trying to do to protect everyone, so she'll help me," Harry explained.

Lucius put his hands up to rub his temples. "So, why does it need to appear that my son is in the infirmary?"

"Yes, please go on telling us about your plan," Severus sneered.

Harry glared at him. "I don't want Draco at that meeting any more than you do, so as far as Voldemort is concerned, Draco isn't going to be there."

"Then why are you planning to put me in the hospital wing?" Draco asked, completely confused.

"It's fairly simple really. We cover our backs by pretending to put Draco in the infirmary," Harry explained to them all. "Everyone here thinks that I'm simply visiting with Draco, when in reality I go to the meeting and inform Voldemort he was injured and couldn't come."

Harry witnessed the sharp looks of recognition he received from Lucius and Severus at that comment, and gave a slight nod, indicating that he knew, as well as they did, exactly what that meant.

Thankful Draco didn't notice, Harry continued, answering his question. "That keeps everyone undercover still. Draco will still be there, though, as my backup under the invisibility cloak just in case something does go wrong. I follow through with the meeting and figure out what Voldemort's special plans are. Depending on what his testing is, I deal with it, or else Portkey the hell out of there. In that scenario, I disappear, but Voldemort won't have a clue as to how I've disappeared. I wouldn't be able to go back, but both Father and Lucius would hopefully be in the clear, as well as Draco."

"This is _simple_?!" Draco asked incredulously. 

Harry looked at him. "Well, yeah. It keeps everyone as safe from Voldemort's wrath as we can get. The only cover that could be blown is mine, and not even mine if my test is to torture the other Death Eaters or something." He got a malicious smirk on his face. "I have no problem with testing my skills on them."

Severus had been back to pinching the bridge of his nose. "Harry, you do realize there are about a million things that could go wrong with this plan."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe, but Voldemort is fairly predictable. I have a pretty good idea of how the meeting will go." He glared at his father and Lucius. "As do both of you," he said pointedly. "You know I'm likely to be asked to do one of two things. Hopefully I'll be asked to provide the evening's entertainment by torture of the other Death Eaters."

Severus glared back. "Yes, and if he brings in some Muggles for you to torture and kill instead?" 

Harry shrugged again. "That's why I need Draco there with a couple of spare Portkeys. If we have Draco spelled to be silent under the invisibility cloak, he'll be able to move around easily enough to be able to Portkey any of the victims out of there."

"Do you realize how much danger you're planning on putting yourself in?" Draco asked angrily.

"Yes, I do," Harry snapped, starting to get angry. "Do you think I actually _want_ to do this? If we don't go, we automatically put our fathers at more of a risk than they already are. I don't want to do that. I just got my father and don't intend to lose him now." 

Harry was becoming more furious by the moment. He knew exactly what he was setting himself up for, and was fairly certain that Draco did _not_ know. Harry wasn't about to tell him, or Draco would be putting up even more of a fight. A glance at Lucius, and the slight nod he received from the man, told Harry that Lucius did know and accepted the situation along with Harry. It was far from Harry's intention with all of this, but he had the strong suspicion that he'd just earned a touch more respect from Lucius.

Harry continued his argument with Draco, who was looking slightly taken aback by Harry's growing fury. "On the other hand, we need them as spies. I know that. I don't like it, but I know how necessary it is to keep them as spies as long as possible. Hopefully, by doing it this way I can at least keep you and your father relatively safe for the moment," he snapped, glaring icily at Draco.

A quick glance at his father, who was gazing at him intently, showed Harry that Severus was at least following what Harry was saying. Whether he agreed that the benefits outweighed the risks Harry would be taking remained to be seen, but Harry knew that his father understood perfectly everything he was saying. Perhaps maybe even more important was that everything Harry was saying, told his father that _Harry_ understood perfectly, as well.

Harry went back to pacing the room as he ranted. "Unfortunately, if I screw this up somehow—or rather, if Voldemort screws this up somehow with whatever special plans he has for us, then I will likely have my cover completely blown or my father will be back where we started this conversation. He'll be continually more at risk with every fucking meeting, being tortured every time because he dares to have a son that defects from the fucking Death Eaters. He's already being tortured almost every time just because he can't find Harry Potter."

Harry glanced at his father as he passed by with his pacing, but was still speaking to Draco. "Maybe, just maybe, I can impress Voldemort enough that he'll ease up on my father. Having such a good Death Eater son has to count for something in Voldemort's mind," he sneered contemptuously. 

Harry did have hope in that regard. Voldemort was angry with Severus for not being able to extract information from Dumbledore regarding Harry Potter's whereabouts, but it would be just like Voldemort to ease up on the punishments, at least a bit, as a way of rewarding Severus for training his son so well.

He stopped and glared at Draco again. "I got us into this mess by my plan of going to Voldemort before. I would fucking do it again to save everyone from getting the damn Dark Mark. But I knew there was a risk that he'd call us back sooner than I wanted, and now that he has, I'm going to do my fucking best to get us through it."

"Fuck your Gryffindor foolishness," Draco sneered. "I want you alive."

Harry sneered right back at him. "I'll take whatever Gryffindor _bravery_ I've got to follow through with this. And I'll take whatever Slytherin cunning I've got to get through this alive. You know what else? I'm going to use my Hufflepuff loyalty to get _you_ through this safely. And I'll use whatever bit of Ravenclaw intelligence I have about Voldemort to make this all happen."

Harry sent a glare at their fathers, as well as Draco. "Fuck your damn house prejudices!"

They all winced slightly at Harry's words. They were all more than guilty of playing to those house prejudices on a regular basis.

Harry turned his glare back to Draco. "We've gone over this, Draco. There's a time and a place for them and now is not it. I _need_ that Gryffindor foolishness, as you call it, to get myself through this. I don't _want_ to do this," Harry repeated angrily. "I just don't see any other real choice." He paused briefly as he glared at them all in challenge. "If anyone comes up with any better ideas, let me know."

Then he spun on his heel and left the room without giving them a chance to say anything else, leaving them all slightly stunned.

~*~*~*~

Draco finally found Harry an hour later. He stopped and looked at Harry before approaching him. Harry had his knees drawn up to his chest and his head was lying sideways on his knees so that he could stare out over the lake. His arms were wrapped tightly around his legs and he appeared to be crying. Which wouldn't surprise Draco after the argument they'd had earlier.

Draco moved over to sit by him and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy. Harry resisted briefly, but Draco wouldn't relent and finally Harry relaxed into Draco's arms.  
"I have to do it, Draco," Harry said quietly.

"Shhh, I know," Draco whispered into Harry's hair. "Our fathers know it, too. They couldn't come up with any better plans after you left. They told me to tell you that they will go along with your ideas."

Harry snuggled in closer to Draco's warmth. "I'm scared, too, you know.”

"Shhh," Draco shushed him again. "You'll get through this, and I'll do whatever I possibly can to help. You're not alone."

They sat there quietly for a long while staring out over the lake, each lost in their own thoughts. 

"Come on," Draco said, standing up and reaching out to pull Harry up as well. "Let's go to bed. Let me love you tonight."

~*~*~*~

Arriving back at their room, Draco brought Harry the case for his contacts, indicating his unspoken wish to be able to see Harry's true eyes this night. With the long wearing contacts, Harry rarely took them out, in case of discovery. A soft smile gracing his lips, Harry took them out as Draco requested.

Harry started to get undressed, but Draco stopped him. Gently pushing Harry's hands away, Draco began slowly undoing the buttons of Harry's shirt. Harry stood silently, eyes locked with Draco's as he submitted to Draco's will. 

Slipping the shirt from Harry's shoulders and dropping it to the floor, Draco leaned forward to brush his lips across Harry's, a simple promise of more to come. Harry's eyes fluttered shut, feeling the intensity of the moment.

As Draco slowly undressed him and encouraged him to lie back on the bed while he undressed himself, Harry felt some of the tension of the evening drain away. Heavy-lidded, he watched Draco toss the rest of his clothing aside and climb onto the bed. He breathed in sharply as Draco settled himself on top of him, the feeling of Draco's bare skin against his own intoxicating.

Bringing his arms around Draco, as Draco brought his lips to Harry's, they gently kissed. The kiss gradually deepened, and it was as if they were pouring their love for each other from one body to the other through their kiss. Certainly, there was plenty of passion, but this was more about reaffirming their love.

It was also about remorse and forgiveness for the earlier anger. Draco demonstrated his remorse through his reverent touches and kisses as he worshipped Harry's body. Harry felt the stress and tension drain further from his body as Draco rained tender kisses over his face, before licking a trail along his jaw and down his throat.

Draco took each arm in turn, placing kisses at palm, wrist, and inner elbow before placing them at Harry's sides with a gentle pressure, silently telling Harry to leave them there. Harry melted further into the mattress as Draco's hands glided over his skin, mouth following, kissing, pleasuring, worshipping.

Harry revelled in the glorious sensations Draco was creating as he rediscovered Harry's body from head to toe. Harry felt cherished and loved as much as he felt the desire that was building to incredible heights. He knew that Draco was feeling it as well.

This wasn't the quick sex in the common room that was more about satisfying simple sexual urges. This was love and reassurance, an affirmation that they belonged to each other.

Unable to withstand the pleasurable torture any longer, Harry silently begged with his eyes for Draco to take him. When Draco slowly entered him, he did take Harry to new heights. They were lost to each other on some invisible plane in the universe that was known only to them. 

Harry's glittering emerald eyes were locked with Draco's shining silver as he met Draco's every thrust that brought their bodies into perfect harmony. Eyes glazed with desire promised they would always have each other, no matter what else happened in their lives. Draco stroked Harry to completion, thrusting inside one final time as he went over the edge with him.

Not a word had been spoken between them since they had entered the room. As Harry curled up with him, taking comfort from Draco's embrace, he didn't feel the need to break the silence. Through Draco's touch he felt forgiven, reassured and loved. Let tomorrow bring what it may.


	32. Chapter 32

Harry couldn't see or hear Draco, but he could feel the weight of his hand on his back. So far things had gone well today. Harry had talked to Poppy and Blaise and they had staged Draco's Quidditch accident. While most people thought Draco was in the hospital wing back at Hogwarts, in reality he was walking with Harry into the middle of a Death Eater meeting. 

Poppy had looked at Harry and Draco worriedly, but hadn't commented. Blaise didn't know what they were up to, but he knew it was serious. He questioned once, but Draco's cold response told him that he wasn't going to get any answers, and he refrained from asking again. He willingly went along with the plan, allowing himself to be Polyjuiced and put into the infirmary. 

He was put into a separate curtained area and Poppy made sure that most visitors weren't allowed, saying that 'Draco' needed his rest to heal properly. Only Dustin was allowed, which easily excused Harry's absence from the rest of the school. And Dustin conveniently asked that Blaise be allowed to stay, which excused his absence as well.

Harry was grateful, although a little surprised, that Dumbledore didn't come around and question him. Whatever his reasons, the old wizard was staying out of it and allowing Harry to do what he felt he needed to do.

Unfortunately, that had been the easy part of the plan. Now Harry had to be 'tested' by Voldemort and he wasn't looking forward to the evening's festivities. 

As they drew near the growing crowd of Death Eaters, Harry felt Draco's hand slide up his back and squeeze his shoulder before disappearing. Harry closed his eyes briefly and gave a tiny nod to let Draco know he was okay.

While Harry knew that Draco was moving around the outside of the circle to avoid being detected, Severus and Harry moved up to the front of the crowd to stand next to Lucius. Once again Harry stood between the two men, even though Draco couldn't this time. Not that Harry wanted him to be there at all.

Harry stood tall and as proud as he could in his Death Eater robes. His hood was raised which shadowed his face, but he did not wear the mask like the others. He stood silent and still while he waited with the others for everyone to arrive. Although he was tempted, he kept his eyes trained on the hem of Voldemort's robes, showing his supposed subservience to the creature.

When Voldemort finally decided to speak and begin the meeting, Harry just wanted to sneer at him, but he managed to train his features into a cool blank mask. 

_It's show time._

"I see that we have all but one with us here this evening," Voldemort hissed to the crowd. "Dustin," he said imperiously, and gestured for Harry to come forward.

Harry followed the routine and stepped forward with poise in every movement and knelt before Voldemort. He kissed the hem of his robes and then leant back to rest on his heels, head bowed and hands resting loosely on his thighs. 

"Pull down your hood so I can see you," Voldemort commanded. 

Harry cringed inwardly, but casually reached up to lower his hood and then placed his hands calmly in his lap again. He was using every bit of his Occlumency training and every bit of the meditation he'd learned to keep himself relaxed and under control in Voldemort's presence. And it appeared to be working, considering Voldemort's next words.

Voldemort was circling Harry again. "You are quite the beautiful creature, young Dustin, and such composure in one as young as yourself. This pleases me greatly."

He stopped once he was facing Harry again. "We will see tonight how compliant you are to my will," he hissed. "But first, where is young Draco tonight? He was to attend this evening's activities with you."

"My apologies, my Lord. I left him in Hogwarts’s hospital wing. He was in a Quidditch accident this afternoon and was too weak to attend tonight because of broken bones being healed." Harry bowed his head a touch lower. "I will gladly accept the punishment on his behalf, since I was the one who forced him to stay against his wishes to be here tonight for you."

Harry cringed inside. Severus and Lucius had understood this would be coming, Draco had not. Harry knew that if he survived tonight, Draco was likely to punish him himself for taking that weight off Draco and onto himself. He also knew that Voldemort would be pleased with the supposed acceptance of him taking on the responsibility of his partner, though. And he was right.

"Hmmm. You accept that you should be punished for keeping Draco from attending. I am pleased with this acceptance on your behalf. Not all are willing to take their just punishments," Voldemort said coolly.

Harry braced himself for the _Cruciatus_ he knew was coming.

" _Crucio_!"

Harry hated this curse with a passion. But when training with Lucius, he had learned how to master his body when the curse was cast on him. The pain was incredible. It felt like pin needles of fire pricking his entire body. Every cell of his body turning into small flames to torture every nerve ending he had. It was far from being pleasant.

But he refused to give in to the agony. He forced his brain to focus on the torture and turn it into an energy that he could cope with and manage. He worked to pull the magical power behind the curse into his body to feed his own magical core. He was far from absorbing all the pain itself, but he focused it in a way that he could use and deal with it.

Outwardly, he was still kneeling in the exact same position, with head bowed, but his posture was far from relaxed now. His features were scrunched in obvious suffering. His eyes were shut tightly and his teeth were grinding together. His lips drawn into a tight line, refusing to release any screams. The hands that had been resting loosely on his legs were now curled into claws, the fingers digging into the flesh of his thighs.

Voldemort and the others watched the boy in fascination. How was the boy staying upright? It was unusual for someone to be able to withhold their screams, and certainly unusual for them not to collapse immediately to the ground. There was complete and total silence in the room, when normally cries would have been echoing throughout the hall. 

After a minute, Voldemort flicked his wand and lifted the curse. Harry technically did not move much, but the complete stiffness of his body lessened slightly. He was panting now, trying to catch his breath, and his eyes were not screwed tight anymore. After a few seconds, he slowly stretched out his fingers to rest his hands lightly on his thighs once again.

"You surprise me, young Dustin," Voldemort said. His tone indicated that he was obviously impressed. 

Although there hadn't been a question spoken aloud, Harry answered him anyway. "I have trained hard in my desire to serve you, my Lord," Harry managed to say steadily, albeit quietly, after the torture he'd just endured. 

Harry was actually thinking that Draco owed him a hot bath and an all-over body massage after enduring that. _Fuck, that hurt!_ His body ached everywhere. He still had to hold his body tensely to try to keep it from twitching. 

"Come, stand beside me tonight," Voldemort hissed. "You will cast for me tonight. I wish to see how well you do at the other end of a wand, and then I will have a surprise for you shortly."

"Yes, my Lord," Harry said evenly. Despite the curse, he stood in one fluid motion and moved gracefully to stand to one side of Voldemort. Harry stood, shoulders squared, but head still slightly bowed. 

He was careful to stand close enough to appease Voldemort, but not so close that they would touch. _Cruciatus_ was one thing, Voldemort's touch was entirely another for Harry. 

"Let's take care of other business now, shall we?" Voldemort questioned rhetorically. "Dolohov, Rookwood, Macnair," he commanded.

Dolohov and the others came forward and went through the ritual of kissing their master's robes and kneeling before him. They did it with far less grace than Harry had, Harry was happy to note to himself. The thought crossed his mind that he, Harry Potter, made a better Death Eater than these idiots. The irony of the thought was just too incredible to hold onto right now, however. 

It was far more prudent to think about the probability that he would be able to torture these arseholes in front of him and Voldemort. All three had been on the raid at the Department of Mysteries last spring. As Voldemort questioned Dolohov, Rookwood and Macnair about their latest raid, Harry thought about that eventful night so many months ago. 

Harry hadn't been effective with the _Cruciatus_ curse then, but he was more than ready to perform the curse now. He would not be applying it with blind hatred with no focus. No, now he knew the curse and he was very prepared to perform it with the intent to punish these bastards for hurting his friends. 

Soon enough, Voldemort addressed Harry again. "These fools have bungled another mission. Punish them," he said casually with a wave of his hand.

Harry gave a malicious smirk. "It will be my pleasure, my Lord," he sneered in the direction of the three wizards.

Harry raised a steady hand and pointed his wand at Dolohov.

" _Crucio_!"

Dolohov immediately collapsed under the power of Harry's spell. Harry watched in malicious satisfaction as the curse took hold and Dolohov screamed into the hall. 

_It's what you deserve for hurting Hermione and Neville!_

At one time he would have been concerned about his ability to torture someone like this, but now he had no qualms about hurting this vicious Death Eater. Especially one who had hurt his friends.

With a couple flicks of his wand, Harry released the curse on Dolohov after a minute, moved his arm slightly, and cast the curse on the next Death Eater. Rookwood went down screaming out his pain and, a minute later with a couple more flicks, Macnair was down and screaming. 

When he was done, all three wizards were panting heavily and twitching with the after effects. Harry was viciously pleased with the results of his casting. He was also pleased with himself once again at how well he had handled the same curse being cast on him. He still hurt like hell, but he didn't show the results to Voldemort or the Death Eaters.

Voldemort flicked his hand contemptuously at the three wizards, indicating that they should resume their places in the ranks. Then he turned back to Harry. 

"You have done very well, young Dustin," he hissed. "You please me greatly and you will be an obvious choice for my inner circle." 

"Thank you, my Lord," Harry said graciously.

"Lucius," Voldemort commanded.

As Lucius came forward and followed the ritual of greeting his Dark Lord, Harry began to panic. Harry could torture the Death Eaters with no problem. The bastards deserved it. Would it be too much to hope that Voldemort wouldn't ask Harry to torture Lucius?

"Lucius, your son did not come tonight as he should have. Dustin chose to take your son's punishment, but you have yet to be punished for your son's failure to be here when his presence was requested," Voldemort hissed.

Harry and Lucius had known this would happen. Lucius, with a simple nod, had told Harry the night before that he was willing to accept the punishment for Draco's absence. What Harry hadn't considered, was the possibility that he'd be the one inflicting Lucius' punishment.

Voldemort turned to Harry. "Do you consider Lucius to be family, since you are with his son?"

 _Fuck!_ Obviously, it was going to be too much to hope for. Harry closed his eyes briefly. How the hell was he supposed to answer this?

"I wish it to be so, my Lord," he said evenly.

"Ah, so this will be a true test," Voldemort said with obvious excitement. "Punish him and prove your loyalty to me," he commanded.

Harry turned slowly to face Lucius. The malicious smirk was completely erased from Harry's face. His eyes were narrowed slightly and his lips were pressed tightly together. 

Harry's mind had been whirling quickly as Voldemort spoke and he knew that he needed to do this. He was focused so intently on Lucius at this point and saw the barely perceptible nod that Lucius gave him. 

_Fuck the bloody bastard for forcing me to do this!_

Harry took a deep breath. As he slowly raised his wand, he silently asked for his forgiveness. In his mind, it didn't really matter that Lucius had known this would happen and had accepted it. He hadn't expected Harry to do this. It also didn't matter that Lucius had cast the curse on him many times. Harry had asked for it. Somehow that was making a huge difference in Harry's mind and he did not like this.

" _Crucio_!"

Lucius reacted to the curse in much the same manner as Harry had. Harry watched him intently with narrowed eyes. Harry managed to keep anything further from showing on his features somehow and, at sixty seconds exactly, Harry flicked his wand to drop the curse.

Harry watched Lucius slowly relax. He was panting heavily from the pain, but otherwise looked as much in control as Harry had after the curse had been inflicted on him. Unlike the three idiot wizards who'd been cursed in between.

Voldemort dismissed Lucius with a wave of his hand and turned back to Harry once again. "You have done very well indeed, young Dustin, in proving your loyalty to me. And you have obviously been trained well." He reached forward to Harry and ran one of his bony fingers down Harry's cheek like he'd done before.

Harry closed his eyes as the pain exploded and could only hope that Voldemort would take it as a sign of pleasure or fear rather than pain. He tried to focus on keeping the calm mask over his features as his head tried to split in half. He moved his hands into the cover of his robes and balled his hands into tight fists. 

_Oh, this is so not good._

Thankfully, Voldemort had moved back again after that one brief touch but, as usual, once touched, it was going to take more than two feet separating him from Voldemort for the pain to go away again. 

Suddenly, Harry felt a hand pressing into the small of his back. Thank Merlin, Draco was there. 

_Focus on Draco._

Draco was pressing hard circles into Harry's back in an attempt to help ease Harry's pain. Harry tried to centre himself, and for several moments focused solely on the pressure of that hand on his back. The pain eased slightly.

He kept his head bowed and tried to focus on his surroundings. Luckily Voldemort seemed to be unaware of Harry's extreme pain and was going off on one of his tangents that he was prone to do. Harry vaguely heard Voldemort expressing his pleasure at Dustin's performance and telling the other Death Eaters what an exemplary student he was. Something about Harry being able to prove that he could do what was necessary. Harry's loyal service to him. Blah, blah, blah.

Harry managed to open glazed eyes. 

_Merlin, just let me go now. Please! Got the message, I'm loyal to you, sick bastard!_

But Voldemort wasn't done testing him yet. "Now I have something special for you tonight, Dustin. You have proven that you can torture. Now you will be able to prove that you can kill," Voldemort said.

Harry had forgotten about the 'something special'. He could kill but, unless it was a fucking Death Eater, he wasn't going to be killing anyone tonight. Harry was just really wishing he had a clue as to how to kill the bastard next to him. If he knew of a way to get rid of Voldemort, and his soul so he couldn't come back, Harry would gladly fulfil the prophecy right now.

"Wormtail!"

This could help take his mind off the pain. Killing Wormtail would not be a hardship. 

His whole body still ached from the _Crucio_ earlier. His head was throbbing from the fresh pain of Voldemort's touch, and he knew his eyes were still glazed as his stomach roiled, but he lifted his head slightly to watch Wormtail come forward from the shadows behind Voldemort. Harry hadn't seen him back there earlier.

"Give me your arm, Wormtail," Voldemort demanded. He proceeded to touch the Mark. Obviously, he was summoning somebody. 

Pity, Harry wasn't going to be allowed to kill Wormtail.

"They should be arriving in just a minute. I'm sure that they have done their job well," Voldemort hissed while they waited.

The next sounds were the distinct 'pops' of wizards Apparating into the room. Three cloaked and masked figures made their way to the front of the room, the other Death Eaters parting to let them through.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!_

Now Harry felt real fear. _Oh, fuck!_ He worked furiously to shove the fear down and let the anger rise.

In front of him and Voldemort, three bound figures were tossed to the ground—a man, a woman, and a child. If Harry had to guess, he'd say they were a Muggle family and they looked to have already been tortured when they were captured. Harry did not want to see yet another family destroyed by Voldemort.

Harry felt the pressure on his back increase.

_We have a plan. Draco will get them out of here._

Harry was more tense and coiled for action than he had been at any moment yet this evening. 

"Ah, Bella, you have done well," Voldemort hissed. Harry realized that the Death Eater in the middle was Bellatrix Lestrange and his fury increased. He was sure from the sheer size and bulk that the other two were the elder Crabbe and Goyle.

Unfortunately, there was no way Draco could reach the Muggle family yet. They had been tossed to the ground, but the three wizards were still touching them. He would be screwed if he Portkeyed the Death Eaters out with them.

Harry's nausea was back full force and he had to swallow hard to get the bile to settle back down his throat. He felt Draco rub one final circle on his back before his hand fell away from Harry. 

Voldemort cackled at the captives. They turned fearful eyes on Voldemort. 

"Dustin has proven to be a fine student quite capable of receiving and handing out torture. One of you was meant for Draco, but since he isn't here this evening," Voldemort sneered, "Dustin will have the pleasure of killing you himself."

The Death Eaters in the room laughed as the Muggles began shaking even more at those words. They were still bound but, clearly, they weren't frozen stiff by a spell because they were struggling at their bonds.

Harry managed to suppress the full shudder that his body was demanding into a slight trembling. Voldemort was still cackling his high-pitched laughter, watching his captives. 

"You are worthless Muggles. Your deaths will mean nothing. But perhaps they may mean something to Harry Potter. Perhaps your deaths will help draw him out of hiding," Voldemort said coldly. "We did wish to capture his friends rather than you but, unfortunately, that has deemed to be a very difficult task."

Harry watched as the Muggle family stopped struggling and cringed in fear. They were uncomprehending of what they were hearing, except for the fact that their deaths were imminent. Harry was simply furious at this point. He could feel the rage building in him stronger and stronger each moment. How dare Voldemort try to use this Muggle family or his friends to get to him? He tried to tamp down the rage a bit. He couldn't afford any uncontrolled magic right now. Draco had to be able to get himself and that family out of there.

Voldemort turned his red, snake-eyed gaze back to Harry. "Would you like the pleasure of killing them, young Dustin?"

Harry bowed his head a touch lower to hide his rage from Voldemort. He had to work extremely hard to moderate his tone. "Yes, my Lord.”

"Step back!" Voldemort commanded the three Death Eaters with a hand waved imperiously.

_Draco, get them the fuck out of here!_

The Death Eaters stepped back two steps. 

Then the captives disappeared.

Chaos erupted throughout the hall. There were shouts and yells as everyone turned this way and that to search the room for the captives who had just disappeared out from under all their noses.

Harry managed to widen his eyes and plaster a look of astonishment onto his face. Inwardly, he was cheering at Draco's success. Now, if he could only get himself out of here. So far none of their covers had been jeopardized, but this meeting wasn't over yet either. Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to know what would happen now. 

Because Voldemort was in a definite rage now. He was ranting and raving about the missing captives. Harry had listened to plenty of these rages before and for the most part tuned this one out. None of what he was saying was rational, of course. 

Harry simply stood there and willed his body to cooperate with him. His head was still thrumming in pain and the noise in the hall now was aggravating it even more. His body ached from the _Cruciatus_. His stomach was still roiling and the nausea kept threatening. 

Fear. He kept shoving any inklings of fear down as far as he could. There was no time for fear. And essentially, his fear was greatly lessened now that Draco and the family were out of danger. He only had to worry about himself.

Anger. He was extraordinarily angry about everything that had happened already tonight. He needed that anger to get him through, but he had to try to balance it because he couldn't afford to act on that anger at the moment. Acting on it would surely get him killed. 

So, he waited, willing his body and his mind to cooperate with him, to get through until he could go home to Hogwarts.

Eventually, Voldemort calmed himself slightly and called his Death Eaters back into their ranked positions. 

"Young Dustin," he hissed angrily. "You've provided for us all evening so far, you will provide for us once again. Someone must be punished for the disappearance of our captives." 

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!_

"Crabbe, Goyle!" He waved his hand imperiously once again. "Provide your standard treatment. We'll see if that will make him scream."

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!_

Harry had just a couple of moments to decide whether to Portkey out or not. And he couldn't seem to make his brain work very coherently. But the thought registered that if he disappeared, it would likely just mean his father would be tortured instead.

_At least Voldemort isn't ordering me to be killed._

With that slightly hysterical thought, he was pulled roughly forward by a meaty arm of one of the Death Eaters. Crabbe or Goyle? Harry didn't think it mattered much which one it was. Especially considering that in the next instant, there was another meaty arm from the other Death Eater slammed into his face. Harry howled in pain as his nose broke and blood started pouring.

Then the fists started flying in earnest. He was punched continuously in the gut and took many more blows to his face. One burly Death Eater held him in place while the other let his hefty fists fly at Harry. 

Harry was sure that one punch broke his jaw. Certainly, it at least knocked a couple of teeth loose. In between the sounds of flesh pounding on flesh, Harry shrieked in pain. Whether it was Crabbe or Goyle, they were doing a damn fine job of grinding him to a bloody pulp.

_Bloody fucking hell! Father and Lucius are still here being forced to stand silent and watch me being beaten half to death. Thank Merlin Draco is gone._

It seemed the other one wanted in on the action, considering that he tossed Harry onto the ground so he could kick at him. Harry tried to scream in pain again as he felt, and heard, the sickening crunch of ribs being broken. Screams don't work as well when your chest feels like it's caving in on you. He tried to roll into a protective ball, but just got a wrist broken for his effort. 

His entire body was being viciously abused and, after another brutal kick to his head, he mercifully blacked out finally.


	33. Chapter 33

"Severus, get him out of my sight," Voldemort commanded. "The rest of you go as well."

Severus quickly moved to Harry and lifted him as gently as he could. He Apparated them both out of there with Lucius right behind them. 

Draco was at the gates waiting for them. He rushed forward as soon as he heard the 'pops' announcing their arrival.

"Oh Merlin! What happened to him?" he asked anxiously. Harry was covered in blood, head to toe. 

Severus just headed straight for the castle with Harry still held tightly in his arms. Lucius snagged the invisibility cloak from Draco completely unnoticed, since Draco only had eyes for Harry at this point.

"What happened?" Draco asked again desperately, as he raced to keep up with Severus' long stride.

Lucius' disembodied voice answered from beside him. "Voldemort decided that Harry should continue the evening's entertainment and he would be the one to take the punishment for the captives' disappearance. He set Crabbe and Goyle on him to inflict his punishment."

Draco just let out a cry as they all raced to the hospital wing. He rushed forward to throw open the doors for Severus. "Madam Pomfrey," he yelled.

She rushed forward when she saw the boy in Severus' arms. "Lay him on the bed there," she commanded.

Draco tried to move forward to be beside Harry, but the invisible force of his father held him back. Draco shifted from foot to foot anxiously as he watched the mediwitch and the potions professor team up to heal Harry. 

They worked together to remove Harry's clothes and she quickly cast a couple of cleansing spells to remove the blood. Much of the blood had clotted over the boy's wounds, but several gashes and abrasions were still flowing the bright red blood.

Draco watched as the mediwitch ran her wand over Harry's body, running diagnostic spells. Then she began casting healing spells, Draco presumed, as Severus was gathering potions. 

Draco was directed to the bed next to Harry's and forced to sit down while he waited. He could only watch and wait for the next hour while Madam Pomfrey and Severus worked on Harry. 

Draco registered the fact that Blaise had appeared and sat next to him, offering silent comfort. He'd obviously been given the antidote because he looked like himself again. Draco wondered briefly if Blaise should even be there at this point, but knew that Blaise was worried, too, and Draco simply couldn't bring himself to care at that point. He was grateful that Blaise was there, but at the same time, thankful that Blaise wasn't asking any questions.

Right now he needed to focus on Harry.

Of course, Dumbledore wanted to interfere with his focus. He didn't even know when Dumbledore had come into the room.

"He will be all right, my boy," Dumbledore said to Draco. But much of the twinkle was gone from his eyes. "He is strong and he will pull through this."

Draco just levelled a glare at the old man before turning his attention back to Harry. 

"Madam Pomfrey was able to look over the members of the family before Dustin's arrival, and they will be fine," Dumbledore said. "They were fortunately not injured too severely and Severus will be able to help with that situation. Dustin will not become any further involved, in regards to the Ministry."

Draco didn't bother to respond. He'd seen the family lying on beds further down the ward and was sure they'd all been dosed with Dreamless Sleep potion. For Harry's sake, he was glad they were going to be all right but, other than that, he couldn't bring himself to care.

Having Portkeyed them all here, Draco had stunned the hysterical family before bringing them up to the hospital wing. Once they were in Madam Pomfrey's care, he had rushed back out to the main gates, anxiously waiting for Harry and their fathers to arrive.

Dumbledore stepped back a bit and they all watched as the mediwitch and the potions master continued to use all their skills to heal the boy lying so pale on the bed. Finally, they both stood up straight and sighed simultaneously in relief. Severus gestured to Draco that he could come over now.

Draco was at Harry's side in an instant. He carefully picked up Harry's hand and held it between both of his own. "Is he okay now?" Draco asked hesitantly. Harry looked better than he had an hour ago, but he still looked incredibly pale. He just looked so frail lying there in that hospital bed, when earlier he had looked so strong and powerful.

Madam Pomfrey spoke up as the others in the room gathered around. Severus and Lucius had seen it all, Draco had witnessed only part of it, but Dumbledore, and especially Blaise, really had no clue as to what had happened that evening. 

"Dustin will be fine, but he will likely take the next few days to recover completely. He has been through a lot tonight," Madam Pomfrey said. "We've given him an anti- _Cruciatus_ potion to cover the effects of that curse."

She flicked a glance in the direction of Blaise before looking at the others. "As usual, there is nothing I can do about certain pain except for pain relieving potions which don't do much to help him." She glanced at Severus. "I gather it has been long enough now for that pain to have been greatly lessened." 

Severus and Draco both nodded, to the confusion of Blaise, but there was no chance for him to ask questions, even if he had been brave enough to, before Madam Pomfrey went on to list the injuries Harry had sustained during his beating. 

He had a concussion, a broken jaw, nose and both wrists had been broken. He'd received several broken ribs and there were several hairline fractures in both legs, along with countless bruises and abrasions. The internal injuries had been healed, bones repaired, and blood replenishing potion given, along with pain relieving potions.

The mediwitch looked down tenderly at the boy lying so still on the bed. Which shocked those in the room. This woman was the dragon lady of her hospital ward and was always completely professional. They watched amazed as she reached down and brushed back a lock of Harry's hair. 

"He should be arguing to get out of here within a couple of days, but he will likely be sore for several days still. He took a nasty beating this evening," she said gently, with affection in her tone as she gazed at Harry. It was almost like she was talking to herself.

Then she snapped back to her strict self and looked back at the others. She straightened her spine and looked at them all sternly. "I will revive him for a few minutes, but then I will give him his Dreamless Sleep draught so that he can rest and heal this evening."

Severus snorted. "Yes, I sincerely doubt that he will truly rest peacefully until after he has found out if everyone is all right."

Pomfrey nodded. "I realize that, otherwise I would not allow him to be revived right now at all."

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling again. "I do believe you are both correct. And perhaps he will answer a few questions about what happened this evening."

Severus turned on him. "I can give you a report concerning this evening. You will leave him alone, at least until after he is healed," he sneered at the Headmaster.

Blaise looked taken aback, but the others all glared at Dumbledore, including Pomfrey and Lucius who no one could even see, aside from Dumbledore. 

Dumbledore's eyes dimmed only faintly as he calmly gazed at the others. "I only wish to point out that the boy himself will likely rest easier after giving his information." He looked sternly at Severus and Draco, as well as including Lucius with a brief flick of his eyes in Lucius' direction behind Draco. "You, on the other hand, will be giving a complete report of this evening's events once Dustin is sleeping peacefully again."

They all nodded at him, then turned back to Madam Pomfrey and Harry. She pointed her wand at him and cast _Ennervate_.

~*~*~*~

Harry let out a low groan and his eyelashes fluttered briefly before cracking open. He groaned again, and grimaced a bit, when he saw where he was.

The others chuckled at him. "Yes, Angel, you are in the hospital wing," Draco smirked at him.

"Dustin?!" Blaise squeaked. Everyone turned to look at the shocked Blaise, the only one in the room who didn't know who Dustin really was. Although, judging from his shock, he seemed to be well on his way to knowing now.

Harry looked at him in confusion, not understanding Blaise's reaction.

"Potter?!" Blaise squeaked, still not having his voice under control.

Harry's eyes widened, simply confirming Blaise's suspicions without realizing it. Harry turned panicked eyes to Draco and his father.

"Your eyes," Draco said quietly, glancing at Blaise warily.

"It was necessary to remove your contacts when we healed your face," Severus said, also eyeing Blaise warily.

Harry turned back to Blaise. This was a little unexpected, but better Blaise than someone else. He wasn't allowed to say anything at the moment because Madam Pomfrey was insistently checking him over still.

Harry waited patiently for Poppy to run a few more diagnostic spells, his mind whirling from all the things that had happened that evening and now having to inform Blaise of who he really was. He was a little grateful that Poppy was being so insistent because it gave him a few minutes to think.

"You are doing as well as can be expected," she said. "You can sit up for a few minutes, but then you will take a Dreamless Sleep potion so your body can heal properly while you rest."

Harry just rolled his eyes at her. "Of course," he rasped. She gave him a weak glare then moved to the side to put away some of her supplies.

Harry moved to sit up and Draco was right there to help prop him up. Severus passed him a glass of water which felt wonderfully cool sliding down his throat. He handed the glass back and then relaxed into the pillows.

"So, I guess this confirms that my eyes can give away who I am," Harry said.

"You really are Potter then?" Blaise asked, still staring at Harry wide-eyed with shock, like he'd been doing this entire time.

Harry smiled at him a little uncertainly. "Um, yeah."

Dumbledore conjured a chair and gently pushed Blaise into it. Blaise sat heavily, still staring at Harry in shock.

Harry looked at Draco questioningly. "You know Blaise well enough by now to know that you can trust him with this," Draco said quietly.

"But I'm Harry Potter."

"Yes, and just a couple of days ago, Blaise was yelling at Nott, going off about wanting to get on Potter's good side," Draco retorted. "Somehow, I think keeping your secret might qualify as getting on your good side."

Harry looked back to Blaise who was nodding dazedly. Still not quite believing and comprehending.

"Um, Father?" Harry asked.

"You wish for me to explain everything to him?" Severus asked.

Harry nodded. "It's probably better he knows, and maybe I should have told him anyway with the way he helped tonight."

"Very well, then," Severus said curtly.

Harry finally glanced around at the others. "Is everyone okay, then?"

Everyone nodded at him. He looked at Draco. "But what about –?" he cut himself off and then smiled softly as he felt a hand on his shoulder. There was a brief squeeze and then his shoulder was released again.

Draco grinned at Harry. He'd felt the movement of his father behind him. "Yes, everyone is fine." Then he glared at Harry. "Except for you, you idiot." 

Harry rolled his eyes again. He'd heard the _Gryffindor_ that Draco had wanted to add at the end of that insult. "I just did what I had to do, Draco." 

Then Harry sobered again. "What about that family? Are they all right?" he asked worriedly.

"They are fine," Dumbledore answered. "Their injuries were minor. We will be offering them assistance, and their memories will be altered so that they will not even remember the events of this evening."

"But the Ministry? Won't they have to be informed?"

"Yes, however there are a couple of people who you know well who will be assisting us in this matter. I have already asked them to meet me in an hour to sort out the details," Dumbledore answered.

Severus spoke up. "I will be officially informing the Ministry how I was able to Portkey them away from the meeting tonight without breaking my cover with the Dark Lord."

"But you -?" Harry tried to protest.

"No," Severus said harshly. "You will not be brought into this. There is too much at stake."

"Friends are waiting in my office," Dumbledore interjected. "They will know the truth and they will provide us with the necessary Ministry investigation. They will not question your father. You personally have helped ensure their trust in him," he said, his eyes twinkling merrily.

"So this won't cause any trouble for you?" Harry asked his father anxiously.

"No, Tonks and Shacklebolt will help ensure that it is a cursory investigation and nothing more will come of it," Severus said. 

Harry looked down at the hands in his lap. "I think I have some apologies to make." 

Everyone looked at him confused except for Severus, and then Harry felt the invisible hand back on his shoulder.

"You have no reason at all to apologize for that, Dustin." Severus glared at him. Harry felt the hand squeeze his shoulder again. "And I'm sure everyone feels that way."

Draco had felt his father move again, and understanding dawned on him what Harry was apologizing for. He crawled up onto the bed to sit beside Harry and wrap him in a hug. "It's okay, Angel. I'm sure of it. I know you just did what you had to." He pulled Harry close and Harry rested his head on Draco's shoulder. 

"I didn't think I could do it, but then I did do it and I'm so sorry," Harry said quietly. Both Harry and Draco felt the hands gripping their shoulders and squeezing lightly. 

Draco quirked a small smile. "I think you're forgiven, Angel."

Harry couldn't manage a smile, though. "I'm not sure if I deserve to be forgiven for that," he said, obviously distressed about it still.

Dumbledore, Blaise and Madam Pomfrey looked on confused as Severus moved to the other side of the bed to sit on the edge next to Harry. Severus put a hand on each side of Harry's face and forced him to look directly at him. He locked gazes with Harry and refused to let him look away.

His voice was intense and full of emotion when he spoke to Harry. "You listen to me. Do you remember our discussions about intent?"

Harry gave a slight nod, his face still within Severus' hands. 

"Your intent tonight was to protect. You protected all of us tonight with your actions. And I'm amazed and incredibly proud of you," Severus said. "You are an extraordinary young man to be able to do what you had to do tonight."

"But," Harry began as he tried to tip his head down.

"No!" Severus said firmly. "Spies know what their duties are and they know the risks. Just like you knew and took the risks tonight. You followed through with the punishments a spy is forced to take tonight, just as any other good spy would do."

Harry just stared at him.

"Do you understand me?" Severus asked him harshly.

Harry could see the sincerity in his father's eyes. He could feel the steady pressure of the hands that now rested on both of his shoulders. He could feel the warmth and soothing touch of the arm wrapped around his waist.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes, Father, I understand," he said quietly.

Severus slowly released his son's face and brushed away a lock of hair from Harry's eyes. "You did well tonight, Son."

"Thank you, Father," Harry said. Severus moved back and Harry opened his eyes again to look at the others who had stood quietly watching the interaction between father and son.

Harry focused on Blaise. He still looked confused, but he also looked amazed at seeing Professor Snape being so tender with his son. Harry managed a grin for him. 

"Professor Snape isn't always a snarky bastard.” 

Everyone let out some surprised laughter except for Severus, who sent his son a mock glare. "Don't try to ruin my reputation.”

"Wouldn't dream of it, Father," Harry said cheekily.

"You're spies," Blaise said abruptly. "You're both spies. Harry Potter is a spy."

If he hadn't already been sitting down, Harry was pretty sure Blaise would have fallen over when the realization hit.

"Perhaps it is not such a good idea to inform Mr. Zabini, as he does seem a bit slow on the uptake," Severus sneered.

"Father!" Harry admonished. "He's just shocked. You know he can be trusted, and you must believe that he should know or you would've kicked him out of here a long time ago."

Harry looked at him curiously as his own words hit him. "Actually, why didn't you kick Blaise out? You knew what he'd find out if he stayed. You had to have known."

"As it has been proven this evening, Mr. Zabini can be of assistance. I believe that he could be more effective if he knew the truth," Severus said evenly.

Harry narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That's not true," he said slowly. "Blaise helped willingly even without knowing anything. Why tell Blaise after we've been so careful?"

He registered vaguely that both Dumbledore and Poppy had stepped back once again, staying out of this conversation. Draco and Blaise, however, were listening intently.

"Do you have a problem with him knowing?" Severus asked.

Harry frowned. "Well, no, not really. I know I can trust him, but I don't like the idea of more people knowing. The more people who know, the more risk there is of it getting out. And now Blaise is more at risk."

Severus snorted. "He was far more at risk before you came along, all things considered."

Harry shrugged. "Well, yeah, maybe." He looked at his father curiously, still not understanding his motivation. "So, what are you saying?"

"Perhaps you should consider what Draco had to say earlier," Severus suggested.

Harry frowned, trying to remember. It really wasn't fair for them to be trying to discuss all this when he wasn't exactly at his best. He'd barely even been alert earlier.

"Blaise, more than any other Slytherin I know, has been hoping like hell that Harry Potter would be able to help him," Draco said quietly. "He was angry with Nott and pointed out that Dustin was the only one to help him, but he needed Harry Potter's help, too, if he's to survive all this."

"Perhaps knowing the truth will help him in his endeavours to turn away from a life that he does not want," Severus said with a nod of agreement.

Harry was still frowning. What they were saying made sense, but his father knew who he was and he knew that Harry would do absolutely anything he could for Blaise and his other friends regardless. Yeah, this might help ease Blaise's worries, but there hadn't really been a need to tell him right now. Maybe nearer to the summer holidays when other arrangements would need to be made for Blaise, but not now.

"Why now?" Harry asked his father.

Severus glared at him. "You have grown to be far too perceptive," he snapped.

"I get it from you," Harry said. "Now tell me why."

"As much as you need to keep your cover, I believe you also need the reminder of who you are underneath all this subterfuge," Severus admitted.

Harry blinked at him and Draco snickered. "I'd have to guess that you've been complaining to your father, too, about not knowing who you are anymore," Draco drawled.

"You're telling Blaise everything—for me?" Harry asked, sounding completely bemused.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Severus sneered at him.

"Yes," Harry answered. It _was_ hard for him to believe.

Draco rolled his eyes. "You need Blaise as much as he needs you. Blaise has been worrying that Harry Potter won't help him and Harry Potter has been worrying that he'll lose Blaise as a friend when he finds out. Having Blaise support you will help remind you of who you really are. And it's safer to tell Blaise, because he's more at risk not knowing than Granger and Weasley would be if they did know."

"How about you try running all that past me again when I'm more alert," Harry said dryly.

"It is simply a matter that he can be trusted and you need the reminder that you are Harry Potter underneath all of this," Severus said. "I believe that Mr. Zabini is a good choice to reveal your identity to. You have more than earned his trust and, once he is over his shock, I believe he will be loyal to you."

Harry looked over to Blaise, who was again nodding dazedly. Harry snickered at his friend. Poor Blaise wasn't sure what to do with all this information, but he certainly did seem to be taking the news a whole lot better than Draco had. Maybe it would be good to have someone else know who he really was. 

Dumbledore finally spoke up, eyes twinkling merrily. "I must concur with the others, my boy. Although I find the fact that you have been off visiting with Tom to be concerning, you have done everything in your power to inspire our loyalty and trust in you."

Harry inclined his head to Dumbledore. "Thank you for your trust in me, sir. My father and the others can explain everything that happened tonight, but you have my word that I have only done what I felt was necessary. Voldemort essentially called me on my bluff from a couple of months ago, and I had to follow through to protect everyone."

Dumbledore smiled benignly. "I find it quite interesting that you've become a spy like your father."

Harry shook his head in disbelief over his own actions. "Yeah, the irony involved in that is boggling my mind."

Then he stared hard at Dumbledore. "While the others can fill in the details, the only really important news from dear Tom," Harry sneered, "is that he is still hoping to flush Harry Potter out of hiding."

"We'll figure out something, my boy," Dumbledore said.

"In the meantime, somehow you've managed to protect all of our covers, including your own," Severus said wryly.

Harry shrugged. "We need to know what Voldemort is up to. It's easiest if none of our covers are blown."

Draco snorted. "Yeah, and your cover is more important than any of them," he muttered quietly.

Harry grinned. "Maybe," was all he said. He yawned and tried to shift on the bed, which just caused him to wince.

Everyone eyed him with concern. Draco moved into action, helping Harry to lie back on the bed and Madam Pomfrey came forward again. 

"I think, my boy, it's time for that Dreamless Sleep potion. You need your rest," Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded. Draco tried to get off the bed, but Harry grabbed his wrist. "Please stay with me."

Draco glared at everyone, daring them to deny him, and turned back to settle in carefully next to Harry. "Of course, Angel."

Harry snuggled up with Draco the best he could and sighed contentedly. His eyes drifted shut and it was only moments before he fell into a deep sleep. Draco just smiled softly, stroking Harry's hair, and closed his own eyes. Neither boy noticed when the others stepped quietly out of the room to leave them in peace.


	34. Chapter 34

Harry woke the next morning still feeling tired, sore, and very confused. Not wanting to wake Draco, he lay there quietly and attempted to pull his thoughts together. Ironically enough, he wasn't nearly as concerned about his foray into the spy world as he was about revealing his identity to Blaise.

One of the things bothering him was the guilt that Blaise now knew who he was, but Ron and Hermione still didn't. They were supposed to be his best friends, but they didn't have a clue as to who he was. He had done his best to make sure of that, and was always extra careful around them. 

Of course, being with Draco helped a lot there. No one, least of all Ron and Hermione, would expect Harry to be loving it up with Draco at every opportunity. His reasons for hooking up with Draco at the beginning of the year had been purely selfish, but it had inadvertently helped with his cover. 

But then, being with Draco was one of the reasons that Harry was in no way willing to tell Ron until he absolutely had to. Ron would never be able to keep something like this secret if he knew. By the time he got through over-reacting about the whole situation, everyone would likely know Harry's true identity. As time went on, Ron was slowly adjusting to Draco, so maybe Harry would have a chance at still being Ron's friend when this was all over. But in the meantime, Ron's temper was a deterrent.

There was also the safety issue. One of the reasons Harry was doing this was to protect them. If they didn't know anything, then there was less chance of them getting hurt. Certainly, Ron wasn't following Harry on any of his 'adventures' this year. Of course, Draco was instead, but Draco had far more practical experience at being a Death Eater. 

Harry shook his head slightly. The ironies tended to boggle his mind at times, when he allowed himself to think about them. He shifted his thoughts to Hermione.

Technically, Hermione would be able to keep it secret, but then she'd also insist on being involved more, and would likely put herself into more danger, just as she always had in the past. Then, there was also the fact that she would question his every move.

She would not approve of him doing what he'd done the night before. Severus and Draco hadn't exactly approved either, but they understood the risks Harry took better than Hermione ever could.

Harry imagined the situation with his Firebolt on a much larger scale. She had gone over his head and told McGonagall about his Firebolt, feeling it was for his own good. If she thought he was endangering himself too much, would she go over his head and blow his cover, thinking it would help keep him safe? He had the feeling that she would do exactly that if she found out he had taken to attending Death Eater meetings. 

She had been willing to learn a little dark magic under the circumstances, after a whole lot of talking from Harry, but she was only willing to take it so far. She would go ballistic if she knew exactly how far Harry had taken his training. He shuddered lightly. He thought Draco and his father had been hard to deal with when he decided to learn how to fight after being subjected to the _Cruciatus_ curse? Hermione would not have stood for that.

He loved his friends dearly, but this wasn't something that he could let them find out. Even if he could guarantee that they'd keep it quiet, he'd still be subjecting himself to them questioning his every move. He had a hard enough time answering to Draco and his father, and he felt that they understood where he was coming from better.

His thoughts brought him back around to Blaise. Blaise wasn't likely to question him at all. Well, not in the sense that Ron and Hermione would. Blaise would be curious, and would ask questions to satisfy that curiosity, but Harry knew very well that Blaise would back off if asked.

Blaise knew better than most that sometimes questions shouldn't be asked or answered—sometimes your life depended on it. It was a lesson he'd learned at a very early age growing up with his father. 

Harry sometimes wondered how Blaise had become such a good-natured person overall, with the way he'd grown up. When he'd asked Draco about it once, Draco had just told him to look at himself. Maybe that was why Harry had such empathy for Blaise. Their backgrounds weren't similar, but they were both difficult and somehow, they were surviving with their basic good natures intact. 

Harry knew what his father and Draco had been trying to tell him. It was odd to feel lonely sometimes when he was surrounded by so many friends, but that was what was happening. He had been letting the situation get to him a little as time wore on, because he was getting tired of living this double life.

Sometimes he felt as if he didn't know who he was anymore. He'd had a lot of trouble trying to explain it to his father a few nights before. He knew who he was, and he felt strong and confident in his beliefs and how he was handling things. But on the flip side, he was still hiding. No one knew that he was Harry Potter. No one knew that he'd grown up and changed. 

So, was he still Harry Potter? Or was he this new Dustin Snape? Technically he was both, but he was seriously worried about losing sight of Harry Potter. He'd got himself confused when he tried telling his father. It wasn't that he had a problem with being Dustin Snape, but his main identity as a person was still Harry Potter.

It wasn't even that he wanted all the recognition back. In fact, that was far removed from the truth. But wasn't his identity as Harry Potter who he was? Simply evolved now into Dustin Snape? There were times that he was beginning to feel like he had a split personality disorder. He'd laughed with his father about it, but there was that tendril of truth running through his words.

Severus had finally told him that he simply needed the opportunity to merge his two different identities. It was far too similar to a personality disorder than Harry was comfortable with, but his father had assured him that he was entirely sane—despite still having too much Gryffindor in him.

Harry needed to combine his old self with his new self but, unfortunately, that wasn't a possibility right now. It wasn't as if he were dwelling on this every moment or anything, but it tended to get to him now and then.

Hence, Severus deciding that Blaise should be told. It wasn't practical for Harry to tell everyone, but Blaise was a good choice. Harry would have one more person who knew who he really was. He could merge his identities for one more person, and it would be healthy for Harry's state of mind.

Harry sighed. His twisting thoughts made him sound like a nutter ready to be carted off to St. Mungo's. Most of the time he felt strong and confident, and it irritated him that he pulled himself down like this sometimes. He looked forward to the day when he could just be himself.

Unfortunately, that meant getting rid of Voldemort. It was because of him that Harry had been living his entire life in hiding in one form or another. 

It was another one of those confusing facts of his life. Dumbledore still insisted that Harry's greatest strength was his ability to feel strong emotions like love and pain. How the fuck was that supposed to help him kill Voldemort so he could have his life back?

Like he had over the summer, Harry continued to read as much as he could. Draco often read with him and Harry knew that Severus and Lucius often were, as well. In amongst all that reading was a ton of research, hoping to find a way for Harry to defeat Voldemort.

One of the biggest issues was the fact that Voldemort simply couldn't be killed like a normal person. That had been proven once before. Within that issue was the fact that no one knew exactly what Tom Riddle had done in his quest to achieve immortality. 

Harry was certain that Dumbledore had been researching for many years, and still he was no closer to finding a solution. If the most powerful wizard of their times couldn't figure out how Harry could off Voldemort, how was Harry supposed to?

For Merlin's sake, they lived with magic. There simply had to be some way to effectively bind all the pieces of Voldemort together so that Harry could finally kill him.

Harry desperately wanted to know what the 'power the Dark Lord knows not' was. And he was getting damn tired of Dumbledore offering him platitudes that his power lay in his ability to feel emotions.

Harry knew that he knew how to feel emotions. That was what was guiding him through this charade. His love for Draco, his father, and his friends. The pain he still felt for the loss of Sirius, James, and Lily. His guilt for leading Sirius to his death still tended to be a driving factor in everything he did. His fear of anyone else dying was a huge factor.

Hope. Harry wondered if that was the overriding emotion. He hadn't lost hope that, one way or another, this would all end. He did his best to instil hope in the other students. With the DA, he gave them hope that they could protect themselves, their friends, the school.

He did all of this with the hope that he could protect everyone the best he could. He tried to give the Slytherins hope for a better life. He hoped that he would one day be able to live his own life without fear.

Fat lot emotions were helping to vanquish Voldemort, though. Who cared if he wore his emotions on his sleeve? He was able to control his emotions a whole lot better than he used to, but he freely admitted that he still tended to be pretty open when he was allowed to be.

Right now, Harry's biggest emotion was simply frustration and he forcibly turned his thoughts away from Voldemort. It wasn't going to get him anywhere.

Harry sighed and thought about Draco. Thinking about Draco was usually good to bring a smile back to his face.

"So, you're ready to stop being all depressed now?" Draco drawled.

Harry started and opened his eyes wide to find himself staring directly into grey eyes sparkling with amusement.

He gave Draco a sheepish smile. "I didn't know you were awake."

"I've been awake for awhile, but Merlin knows how long you've been torturing yourself with your thoughts," Draco said dryly.

"How do you know I've been torturing myself?" Harry protested.

Draco rolled his eyes. "You've been incredibly tense since I woke up, for one thing. It's probably why I woke up in the first place. Then, your face has been giving you away. You've been grimacing and frowning almost all this time."

"Well, I didn't know anybody was watching me," Harry pouted. "There's nobody else around and you were asleep."

"Has anybody ever told you that you think too much?"

Harry smiled wryly. "It's the first time you've told me today, at least."

Draco shook his head. "And it probably won't be the last. What were you thinking about this time? Last night? Telling Blaise? Not telling Granger and Weasley? The saving the world issue? Maybe a little identity crisis?"

Harry winced a little. "Um, I wasn't thinking about last night, but I think I got the rest covered."

"Angel, you stress too damn much," Draco declared. "You need to take a break."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, like I tried to take a break over the holidays?" he asked, eyebrow arched. "Between the DA and Voldemort, it seems my plans went out the window." 

Draco smirked at him. "I can't do much about the Dark Lord, and it seems you've got us trained almost too well."

"It would seem so," Harry said ruefully. "So, are you going to help me relax then?" he asked suggestively. "I could be persuaded."

"Not now, I'm not," Draco retorted.

"And why not?" Harry pouted.

"In case you've forgotten, we're in the hospital wing because you decided to get yourself beaten to a bloody pulp last night," Draco said. "Have you even tried moving yet?"

"Um, no, I didn't want to wake you up," Harry said, wincing again.

"So move," Draco ordered, arms crossed over his chest as he sat up fully.

Harry moved to sit up and groaned as his body protested.

Draco shook his head and moved to help Harry. "You're such a stubborn idiot sometimes," he muttered. "I'll go get the dragon lady."

"Be nice, Draco," Harry called after him.

~*~*~*~

A couple of hours later, Harry had been snuck down to his room and, as far as the school was aware, Harry was the one taking care of Draco rather than the other way around. Harry had been left with very strict instructions to stay in bed, but he'd been allowed to go to his own room simply because of the issues regarding his identity and his activities from the night before.

It was now late afternoon and, after another nap, Harry had sent Draco to see how Blaise was taking the news. Draco returned with Blaise following somewhat nervously behind him. Draco indicated Blaise could sit on the end of the bed while he himself crawled in beside Harry.

Harry leaned up against Draco, taking comfort from him as he nervously watched Blaise. 

Draco rolled his eyes at them. "You two yap at each other all the time, there's no reason to stop now," he drawled.

Harry and Blaise both glared at him and Draco smirked in satisfaction. "There, see, you two have something in common."

"Yes, we both think you can be a right prat sometimes," Harry said dryly.

"But you love me anyway," Draco said smugly.

"I don't," Blaise spoke up quickly.

"No, but he's right, I do," Harry said softly, giving Draco a kiss.

"Merlin," Blaise breathed. "I thought I must have dreamed it all, but Draco Malfoy really is going with Harry Potter."

Harry and Draco both smirked at him. "Nope, not a dream," Harry said.

"You told Draco who you were and that's the real reason you two fought that week, isn't it?" Blaise asked.

Harry winced, but Draco was the one who answered. "Yes. I didn't exactly take the news well at first."

"Are you going to be okay with me being who I am?" Harry asked.

Blaise shrugged. "I suppose so, but I admit I'm still totally confused."

Harry frowned at him. "I thought my father told you everything last night."

"He did," Blaise admitted. "Kind of, anyway. I got the basic facts, but I still don't understand how you ended up dating Draco. Or why you ended up helping me and the other Slytherins. I really don't understand how Harry Potter ended up going to a Death Eater meeting simply so I wouldn't have to take the Dark Mark over the holidays. You and Draco are my best friends, but I didn't have a clue that you weren't who I thought you were. I can't decide if I should feel really stupid or really proud," he said ruefully.

"Feel proud that one of your best friends is such an amazing Slytherin that he can fool almost all of Hogwarts and even the Dark Lord," Draco drawled.

"Who knew Harry Potter would make such a good Slytherin?" Blaise said, looking at Harry in wonder.

"The Sorting Hat knew in first year," Harry said slyly.

"What?!" Blaise shouted.

With that, Harry started explaining, and the three of them quickly slipped back into the easy camaraderie they'd developed over the last few months. Once over his initial shock, Blaise was overjoyed at who Harry was. It meant he had an even better chance of surviving his family legacy, and he'd decided he now had a better chance of getting Neville to go out with him.

With the exception of Blaise bugging Harry to talk to Neville, the next several days went by peacefully. Harry didn't particularly like being bed-ridden, but he was almost thankful for the forced respite from all the activities he'd been involved in. Besides, Draco made sure that being forced to remain in bed wasn't exactly an unpleasant past time. 

Harry and Draco avoided the rest of the school for a few days, using the excuse of Draco's injuries from the staged Quidditch accident. Blaise would usually spend the evenings with them and would give them reports on the rest of the school. Blaise seemed to find it astonishing that no one seemed to have any clue whatsoever as to what had really happened.

No one even questioned the fact that Dustin was reportedly taking care of Draco, because everyone knew how close they were. Blaise had been approached by Hermione, asking how they were doing, but she hadn't seemed suspicious at all. Draco had been surprised by that news—the fact that Hermione had been concerned enough to ask how he was doing.

Considering the ordeal he'd just gone through, Harry was feeling better than he had for awhile. Being confined to his and his father's rooms, he got to be 'Harry' for awhile, and he'd needed that even more than he'd realized. It was wonderful not being on guard for a little while, at least.

~*~*~*~

Harry woke slowly, feeling warm and comfortable, Draco spooned behind him. He often woke this way, but he was thinking more about it this morning.

Once in a while this was still referred to as Harry's room, but most of the time it was recognized by everyone that this was Harry _and_ Draco's room now. Draco never slept in the dorm anymore, and slowly but surely all of his things had got transferred. The night before, Harry had had the house elves finish bringing anything that was left in the dorm.

It was Christmas. 

As Harry lay there, he felt like he already had the best Christmas gift he was going to get. Draco Malfoy was his. 

"Mine," Harry murmured.

"Feeling a bit possessive this morning?" Draco whispered, lips brushing across the back of Harry's neck.

Harry smiled softly, snuggling closer to Draco. This wasn't the first time Draco had woken up without Harry realizing it. "Yes," he answered simply, more focused now on the hands that were roaming over his bare chest and the hard length that was now pressing against his arse.

"That's okay," Draco murmured. "Because you're mine as well." His words were punctuated by his grip on Harry's swiftly growing erection.

Harry moaned lightly. "Yes," he said again, thankful they'd foregone wearing pyjamas to bed the night before. His arousal was building swiftly. Not surprising with Draco's lips pressing open-mouthed kisses to his neck and shoulder, his hand stroking Harry's erection in light, but smooth, even strokes.

Harry could feel the heat from Draco's body pressing against his back. He shifted his hips, and relished the hiss of pleasure that escaped Draco's lips, the warm breath ghosting across his own skin.

"Like that?" Harry murmured.

"You know I do," Draco said, his voice low and filled with desire.

"Then fuck me," Harry purred silkily. "Prove to me once again that I'm yours."

Harry grinned in satisfaction as Draco Accioed the lube. His grin almost immediately turned to a look of disappointment, and he whimpered as Draco's hand left his cock, reaching out to catch the lube.

He whimpered louder as Draco shifted away from him. "Draco," Harry protested. 

Draco chuckled lightly as he threw the blankets completely off them. "Impatient this morning, as well as possessive," he drawled.

Harry swiftly turned, capturing Draco's lips in an extremely possessive kiss. When Draco attempted to move away, Harry bit down lightly on Draco's bottom lip, teeth nipping lightly while effectively claiming.

Hearing Draco's deep moan, Harry plunged his tongue into Draco's mouth. He relished Draco's surrender as he swept his tongue over sharp teeth, over the ridges on the roof of Draco's mouth, and glided his tongue across Draco's own.

As he claimed Draco's mouth with his own, Harry was pressing Draco back to the mattress and moving to lie across him. And Draco was encouraging him rather than resisting him.

Harry captured Draco's roaming hands with his own, tugging them up above Draco's head and bringing them together until he had both of Draco's hands trapped with one of his own.

He continued to explore and claim every last corner of Draco's mouth, grinding his hips so that their erections pressed together. He almost forgot his plan as the sensations exploded in his groin, heat spreading outwards and threatening to overwhelm his senses. Blindly reaching for his wand, he finally grasped it.

He pulled back, mumbling a quick spell.

Draco's eyes flew open to see the look of satisfaction on Harry's face. "What'd you do?" Draco asked, panting heavily after the passionate kisses.

Harry's breathing was almost as ragged as Draco's, but he managed to answer calmly. "I wrapped up my Christmas present," he stated with pleased satisfaction.

Draco's eyes widened, attempting to bring his hands from behind his head, even as he twisted to see exactly what Harry had done.

Harry's grin was feral, moving back to kneel between Draco's thighs. He enjoyed the slightly stunned expression that crossed Draco's features before it was replaced with a look of anticipation.

"You tied me to the headboard," Draco breathed, twisting back to look up at Harry.

"Yep," Harry said in satisfaction. "With a green silk ribbon, and even tied in a big bow. Wasn't so sure I could do that part," he added, admiring his handiwork.

"Now what do you plan on doing?" Draco asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

Harry raked his eyes across Draco's body laid out before him. Wrists tied to the headboard with the green ribbon. Silver blonde hair splayed across the pillow, silver eyes glazed with desire gazing at him. Lips full and red from the earlier kisses. Cheeks flushed a light pink. Silky smooth, pale skin stretched across the hard muscles of Draco's chest.

Harry's eyes skipped lower, focusing on Draco's erection jutting proudly from the nesting of silver blond curls. He swallowed audibly, gazing at the perfection of Draco's body. "I plan on claiming you as mine," he said, his tone corresponding with the possessiveness of his words.

Draco's breath hitched lightly. "What happened to you wanting me to fuck you?" he breathed, obviously not disappointed with this new plan.

"I changed my mind," Harry declared, his hands running up Draco's thighs. Placing his hands on either side of Draco's head, he captured Draco's lips again in a feverish kiss, before trailing his tongue along Draco's jaw and down his neck. He sunk his teeth into Draco's shoulder, groaning in satisfaction as Draco cried out, even as he arched his hips, seeking more contact.

Harry remained on hands and knees, not providing Draco with the contact he was seeking—yet. He continued to lave attention with only lips, teeth, and tongue. He savoured the slight saltiness of Draco's skin as he lapped at the hollow of Draco's throat for a few moments before moving on. Sucking lightly at each nipple in turn, he felt his cock twitch in anticipation upon hearing Draco's moans and whimpering cries. Placing sucking kisses upon Draco's hipbone, Harry snatched up the lube from where it had fallen.

"I want to touch you," Draco whimpered. "This isn't fair, Angel."

Harry looked up at him through his lashes, meeting Draco's heavy-lidded gaze. Instead of answering Draco, he slipped one lubed finger inside Draco's tight hole, watching Draco arch his back and pull futilely at his bindings.

"Oh, gods," Draco moaned. "More."

Harry prepared Draco quickly, before positioning himself and sliding inside with one smooth motion, burying himself completely and groaning at the silky heat that suddenly surrounded him.

"Draco, do you know how fabulous you feel?" Harry panted breathlessly. "You're so hot and tight and it feels like I'm going to lose myself inside you," he groaned.

Draco wrapped his legs around Harry's waist, locking his ankles behind Harry's back. It was the only leverage he had with his hands still bound. "That's because you're mine, too," Draco said. "Now fuck me," he demanded.

Harry pulled back and thrust in hard. "Mine," he growled.

Draco nodded fervently, lost to coherent speech as Harry began thrusting fast and hard. Harry did almost feel like he was the one surrendering as he thrust inside Draco, watching the blond writhe and twist beneath him, hands pulling at the green ribbon desperately.

Knowing they were both close, and had been for awhile, Harry brought one hand to Draco's erection, grasping it firmly and stroking him to completion. Watching the pearly streams erupt and shoot out over Draco's chest, feeling the muscles ripple around him, Harry buried himself deep with one final hard thrust and shot his release inside Draco with a hoarse cry.

Before collapsing onto the bed, Harry snatched up his wand, casting cleaning charms and releasing Draco. He sighed, feeling very content and satisfied.

"Happy?" Draco asked, pressing up against Harry's side.

"Oh, definitely," Harry said, smirking at Draco.

~*~*~*~

Harry and Draco padded barefoot into Severus' sitting room. "Happy Christmas!" Harry said cheerfully.

"What are you two wearing?" Severus asked, looking at them askance.

"He made me," Draco said wryly, settling himself comfortably on the sofa and pulling Harry down with him.

"It's Christmas," Harry protested. "Red and green are Christmas colours." Harry was in red silk pyjamas and Draco was wearing green silk pyjamas.

"Red is Gryffindor," Severus said in amusement.

"I don't care," Harry pouted. "I'm a Gryffindor, too, anyway."

"Only your son," Lucius drawled, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

Severus looked at Harry fondly. "Yes, only my son," he said softly.

Harry gave him a bright smile. This was their first Christmas together as a family—a real family. He couldn't have been happier than he was at that moment, wrapped almost literally in Draco's warmth and basking in his father's warm gaze. Glancing over, Harry realized even Lucius was smiling at him indulgently. 

"So, do you open presents first, or do you have breakfast first, Harry?" Lucius asked.

Harry's expression dimmed just a little. "Well, normally Ron's already got most of his opened before he wakes me up. So, presents first." His gaze fell on the tree that he'd made his father put up in his rooms, and his eyes widened incredulously.

"Where'd all those presents come from?" he asked, literally rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Draco's arms tightened around him as Lucius frowned. "Normally students' gifts are placed at the end of their beds by the house elves, but they put yours and Draco's gifts under the tree this year," Lucius answered the question literally.

"But there's so many," Harry breathed.

"Not really," Draco said. "Harder to get out and shop when we've been stuck at Hogwarts over the holidays."

Harry seemed to regain his equilibrium and snorted in amusement. "I've always said you were a spoilt git."

"Hey!" Draco protested. "I'm a Malfoy. We deserve the best of everything."

Harry quirked an eyebrow, shifting in Draco's arms to look at him. "You do realize I already got my best present?" he asked with a sly grin. "I got Draco Malfoy for Christmas."

Draco flushed a light pink, glaring at Harry and warning him silently not to say anything more.

"I do not wish to know," Severus said, shaking his head at the two of them.

"I don't think you do," Harry agreed, snickering a little. "It's not the same thing at all as getting a father for my birthday."

Harry broke down laughing when both Severus and Draco grimaced in disgust. Lucius was smirking at them all in amusement.

"Let's just open the presents under the tree, shall we?" Draco snapped, pushing Harry away.

Still laughing, Harry went to go start distributing presents.

~*~*~*~

"Father?"

"What is it, Harry?" Severus asked, looking concerned with Harry's tone of voice.

Harry walked over and curled up on his father's lap, needing the extra comfort at the moment. Severus rubbed his back, concerned about whatever was bothering Harry, but remaining silent until Harry was ready to talk.

"This is the best Christmas I've ever had," Harry said softly.

"And this is cause for concern?" Severus asked.

Harry didn't know how to describe everything he was feeling. The previous Christmas had been wonderful with Sirius and the Weasleys. But he hadn't known at the time that it would be his only Christmas with Sirius.

Then there was the fact that he'd received gifts this year from the Weasleys, Remus and Hermione, along with letters saying they were thinking about him, they were worried about him, and they missed him.

Harry knew that both Draco and Lucius were a little disappointed with being at Hogwarts instead of Malfoy Manor with the elaborate celebrations they were used to.

He was thinking about all of that, and despite everything, this was still the best Christmas he had ever had. He couldn’t really have cared less about the presents. Yes, they were nice and he appreciated them, but he had family now. He had Severus and Draco. He still wasn't quite sure where Lucius fit into things, but he appreciated him all the same.

Haltingly, Harry began to explain what was on his mind. Once again, he was extremely grateful that he could talk to his father about anything. He heard Draco and Lucius come back into the room, but was thankful when they said nothing. Draco simply sat on the floor at Severus' feet and held Harry's hand in his own. Harry was allowed to talk, and received quiet reassurances in return.

"This is the best Christmas I've ever had," Harry repeated softly, after explaining what had been bothering him.

"Mine, too, Harry," Severus answered him quietly. "Mine, too."


	35. Chapter 35

Harry and Draco finally emerged from their room for the Christmas feast. It was a little overwhelming, because it seemed almost everyone wanted to welcome them back. Draco handled it well overall, but Harry thought it was sweet that Draco seemed to be genuinely astonished when so many people commented about how they'd been worried about him. It was the fact that it was students outside of his own house that surprised him so much.

Harry and Blaise enjoyed the evening and Draco's growing sense of uneasiness with the attention. Draco had taken to glaring at them, as they sniggered in the background. It was hilarious to watch Draco try to fend off the well-wishers, especially since he hadn't even been the one injured.

Once back in Harry and Draco's room, Harry and Blaise let loose the laughter they'd been trying to contain all evening.

"You have totally ruined my reputation at this school," Draco declared, glaring at Harry.

"This coming from the boy who goes around calling me Angel," Harry said with a wide grin.

"That's different," Draco declared haughtily.

"Being called Angel does seem to have helped your reputation," Blaise said, laughing at Harry now, too.

"How?" Harry demanded. "How could it have possibly helped?"

"Because everyone sees you as this bloke who's always willing to help, just like an angel," Blaise explained. 

Harry held his hands up in protest. "Never mind. You're going to start sounding like Draco."

"And that's a bad thing?" Draco asked, eyes narrowed.

"No, it's just that there can only be one Draco," Harry said, hoping to appease his boyfriend.

Draco let it pass. "Of course there can only be one me," he declared haughtily.

Blaise had a hand over his mouth and waved his little finger at Harry behind Draco's back. Harry burst out laughing.

"What's so funny now?" Draco asked suspiciously, glancing at the now innocent looking Blaise.

"Nothing, love," Harry said with a grin, shoving Draco backwards onto the bed before landing on top of him.

Harry kissed him soundly before rolling over and allowing Draco to get up again. Blaise sniggered to see them both lying there on their backs, panting lightly as they tried to regain their breath after the deep kisses.

"Don't you have somewhere to go, Blaise?" Draco asked.

"Nope!" Blaise said cheerfully. "Not for a little while yet."

Draco propped himself up on his elbows so he could look at Blaise. "Am I missing something?" he asked, frowning in confusion. "Or are you just being a prat?"

"He's just being a prat," Harry answered.

"Hey! You promised!" Blaise exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah," Harry answered dismissively.

"What'd you promise him?" Draco asked curiously. It didn't seem that important with the way Harry was acting. Then it hit him. "Longbottom."

"Yes, I promised Blaise we'd work out a time to meet tomorrow," Harry admitted.

"Why?" Draco asked rhetorically. "Why me?"

"Hey, this coming from the boy who's dating Harry Potter," Blaise retorted.

"I'm dating a Slytherin," Draco shot back.

"So? He's always been like the ultimate Gryffindor," Blaise said.

"He can't be, because he's the ultimate Slytherin," Draco responded.

"Sure, he's that now," Blaise answered. "But not his first five years here at Hogwarts."

"Still in the room," Harry spoke up.

"Shut up, Angel," Draco snapped, focused on his argument with Blaise.

Harry looked totally affronted now. "Excuse me for interrupting," he said sarcastically. "Wouldn't want to disturb your irrational discussion of whether I'm the ultimate Gryffindor or the ultimate Slytherin."

Draco and Blaise slowly turned to look at him. "How is it that I always seem to end up in these arguments, defending you at the same time that someone else is doing the same thing?" Draco asked conversationally.

"I have no idea," Harry said with a roll of his eyes. "But I wish you'd quit doing it. At least you were arguing with someone who actually knows who I am this time."

Blaise started laughing. "I find it hilarious to listen to Draco defend you," he said to Harry.

"I'm sure," Harry said dryly. "It's got to be quite the change of pace from all the discussions and plots to bring about my downfall the fastest."

"Hey! I had some pretty good plans," Draco said, his lips quirking in amusement.

"Yeah, too bad they never worked the way you wanted them to," Harry said, quickly rolling to get away from Draco.

He grinned and Blaise laughed, as Draco swatted the place where Harry had just been lying. Draco glared at him, lips still quirking as he tried not to smile.

Harry smirked at him. "There's a reason why we go with my plans and not yours." 

"Oh, you are so going to pay for that," Draco declared, flashing Harry an evil grin.

"I'm looking forward to it," Harry said, his smirk still firmly in place.

"Hey," Blaise quickly cut in. "Before you two go about any kinky sex play, do you think we could actually arrange a time to meet tomorrow?"

Harry and Draco both sighed and turned back to Blaise. "Have you even tried talking to him?" Harry asked.

"You know I have," Blaise retorted. "He's just not willing to give me a chance and keeps backing away."

Watching Draco warily, Harry moved to lay back down on the bed with him. Draco seemed to take no real offense from Harry's words and encouraged Harry to lie down with him. Harry could never be quite sure how Draco would react sometimes, and he breathed a small sigh of relief when Draco winked at him.

Harry happily curled up with Draco as they talked with Blaise. Blaise finally extracted a time and a promise that they'd meet the next day with Neville, and then the talk turned towards the Slytherin party and the ball. Most of the students were looking forward to those two events more than they'd been looking forward to Christmas. 

It was sure to be a nice change of pace from all the work and stress.

~*~*~*~

Harry and Draco were already waiting in the Room of Requirement when Blaise walked in with Neville. Unfortunately, Neville stopped one foot inside the room and got even more nervous when he realized he was alone in a room with three Slytherins.

"Now I _really_ don't think this is a good idea," Neville said.

"It's fine, Neville," Harry said encouragingly, waving him over.

The room currently had a cosy appearance. It didn't look like either the Gryffindor or Slytherin common rooms, but it did have a warm fire burning in a fireplace and sofas and chairs in a comfortable arrangement.

"Hi, Dustin," Neville said warily, his gaze flicking nervously to Draco.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Just come sit down," he drawled.

"Please, Neville?" Blaise asked him, eyes pleading.

Neville hesitantly came forward and sat down in one of the armchairs. "I don't understand why I'm here."

"Well, you said you liked me, but that you wouldn't go out with me," Blaise explained. "I was just hoping Dustin might be able to reassure you, so that you'd give me a chance."

Harry smiled wryly at Neville. "Blaise seems to think you won't go out with him simply because he's a Slytherin and that I'll somehow be able to convince you to go for it anyway."

Neville swallowed audibly, his eyes flicking nervously between Draco and Blaise. "Erm, Gryffindors and Slytherins haven't always exactly mixed well."

"They seem to be mixing fairly well," Harry said easily.

"This year," Neville pointed out.

Blaise was sitting on the edge of his seat, listening to the interchange anxiously. Draco, on the other hand, was sprawled out on the sofa next to Harry, looking vaguely bored.

Harry spent the next thirty minutes talking to Neville. They established the fact that if Blaise had been a Gryffindor, or a Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, Neville would go out with him. They discussed all the changes in the school--the houses working together, relaxed rivalries, and all the other positive changes.

However, there was also the fact that there weren't really any inter-house relationships. Or rather, there weren't any inter-house relationships established with Slytherins. The students were starting to trust the Slytherins in the DA, and in regards to the war overall, but there was still plenty of mistrust to overcome. 

It was well-established that everyone trusted Dustin Snape. With regards to the war and otherwise. He was always friendly, helpful, called everyone by their first names, and he proved time and again that he could be trusted.

Unfortunately, even Dustin's reassurances didn't seem to relieve Neville's doubts.

"Please, Dustin?" Blaise begged.

Harry glared at him. "You know I can't," he snapped, knowing exactly what Blaise was wanting him to do.

"It's only Neville," Blaise pleaded.

Neville looked at them both a little warily, not understanding what they were talking about.

"I thought you understood the importance of this, Blaise," Harry said, getting highly irritated. "This is far more important than you getting a date."

Blaise looked stung by Harry's words, which simply reminded Harry of Neville--which didn't help him in this situation. Harry wanted things to work out for the two of them. He just didn't want to expose who he really was to yet another person. He had so much riding on keeping his identity a secret.

"I think you should tell him," Draco drawled.

Harry whipped his head around to stare at Draco, astonished at what he thought he'd heard. He'd missed the calculating gleam in Draco's eyes as the rest of them had been talking.

"Yes, you heard me right," Draco said, amused with Harry's astonishment.

Harry snapped out of it. "What the fuck, Draco?" he exclaimed. "I can't believe you, _of all people_ , would want me to tell Neville, _of all people_."

Blaise was watching them closely, looking hopeful, albeit a bit confused by Draco's encouragement. Neville was simply looking even more confused and wary. Both remained quiet, though. Not too many people were stupid enough to get in between Harry and Draco when they were in a serious discussion, or argument, or when they were snogging, or when they were working. Basically, not too many people were stupid enough to get between them at any time, and now was no different.

Now was no different, because Harry was generally pretty easy going. On the relatively rare occasion he was upset or angry, that anyone saw, then people really tended to stay out of the way. And Harry was obviously starting to get angry.

"Longbottom's not going to give Blaise a chance unless you tell him," Draco said, in theory explaining his reason for telling Neville who Dustin really was.

"As much as I'd like to see them together, it's not worth it," Harry snapped.

"What if it was worth it?" Draco asked.

That slowed down Harry's growing anger. "What do you mean?" he asked, eyes narrowing as he glared at Draco.

"What happens when Longbottom starts dating a Slytherin?"

Harry gazed at him blankly, not having a clue as to where Draco was going with this.

"As far as the school is concerned?" Draco clarified a little.

Harry's gaze turned thoughtful and somewhat calculating, unknowingly mimicking the expression that had been on Draco's features a short time earlier.

"They become an example," Harry said slowly. "It begins another step of uniting the school. It creates a new link between Slytherin and Gryffindor."

"Exactly," Draco said in satisfaction. "Especially because it's Longbottom."

"Okay, that makes sense, but we can't just use them like that.”

"You can use us," Blaise cut in eagerly, following their conversation and understanding what they meant when Harry explained it. "I don't have a problem with that. I never thought about it, but it would help out the Slytherins, I think."

Neville was shrinking back, though. "I don't want to be any kind of example."

Draco rolled his eyes. "And that would be why you need to tell him," he said to Harry, gesturing towards Neville. "Slytherins have done so much crap to Longbottom over the years that he's never going to believe, even you, that we're not out to get him."

"You mean you have," Harry retorted. "You're the one who's done his best to make Neville's life miserable."

"Yes, and you're my boyfriend, so why should he believe you when you say that Blaise is really all right?" Draco asked, smirking at Harry.

Harry blinked at him in sudden comprehension. Neville really didn't have much reason to trust any of them. He trusted Dustin when it came to the DA, but it didn't mean he trusted Slytherins on a personal level.

"But I can't tell him," Harry said in frustration.

"He's a loyal Gryffindor. I'm sure he must be able to keep secrets for his friends," Draco said sarcastically.

"I know he can keep secrets," Harry retorted angrily. "Even from his friends, when he has to."

Neville was staring at Harry in complete confusion and growing horror.

"What secrets would Longbottom have to keep from his friends?" Draco scoffed.

"It's none of your business," Harry said. "He'd sure as hell not want _you_ to know."

Draco gazed at him calculatingly. "Why? Does it involve his family or something?"

Harry glared at Draco. "Why the fuck do you always take such pleasure from taunting people about their families?" he snapped angrily.

Draco smirked at Harry in satisfaction. "Your reaction just tells me that I'm right.” He nodded in Neville's direction. "As does his reaction."

Harry whipped his head back around to stare at Neville.

"I only had one secret," Neville spoke up quietly, almost involuntarily, looking even more horrified because these Slytherins might know what it was. "I thought only my friends knew."

Harry's shoulders slumped in defeat. It seemed he'd be telling Neville who he was after all. "As far as I know, only your friends do know."

"But you know about . . . them?" Neville asked, clearly still hoping that the Slytherins, any of them, didn't know about his parents.

"You told your friends over the holidays last year, but Dumbledore had already told me the year before," Harry admitted.

Neville frowned at him. "But Dumbledore only told . . . Harry?" Neville said, turning it into a very confused question.

"Um, hi?" Harry said, giving Neville a sheepish smile.

Neville blinked at him unbelievingly. 

Harry sighed. "Yes, Neville, it's me."

"You can't be Harry," Neville said firmly, not able to believe it.

"I am Harry," he said wryly. "Although some days it's getting kind of hard to remember."

"Then tell me something only Harry would know," Neville demanded.

Harry turned thoughtful. "Like what? I mean, I can tell you things like you're usually the first one up in the dorms, while Ron is almost always the last to wake, but a lot of people know that. Oh, but I don't think you really want me to say too much more about the early mornings," he said with a wicked grin, thinking about the silencing charms he'd taught Neville the year before.

Neville's eyes widened as his cheeks flushed a bright red. 

"What about the early mornings?" Blaise asked eagerly.

"Nothing," Harry and Neville said at the same time, one of them sounding panicked and the other sounding highly amused.

"Couldn't you pick something better to convince me you're Harry?" Neville asked, sounding extremely embarrassed.

Harry took pity on his friend. "Um, Hermione cast _Petrificus Totalus_ on you when we were sneaking out first year and you stood up to us." He realized his mistake as soon as he spoke the words, and both Harry and Neville glanced at Blaise and Draco warily. Harry quickly moved on. He didn't want to get into an argument with Draco about how Gryffindor had stolen the house cup from Slytherin because of that little episode.

"You've always been a loyal friend, and last spring you absolutely refused to stay behind." Harry snorted suddenly. "Dolohov broke your nose and you couldn't even say a spell correctly, but you took Hermione's wand and refused to stay behind then, too."

"I wanted to help," Neville said quietly.

"And you did," Harry admitted.

"You really are Harry, aren't you?" Neville asked, still sounding a little disbelieving.

"Yes," Harry said simply.

"Show him your eyes," Blaise said. 

"It's highly convincing evidence," Draco said dryly.

"I can't," Harry said. "I don't have my things here."

"Just ask the room," Draco said, and no sooner were the words spoken before Harry's contacts supplies appeared on the side table. Within moments, Harry was looking at Neville with his vivid green eyes.

"Harry? It's really you," Neville said, his own blue eyes wide open in amazement.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Harry said with a grin.

Neville was blinking furiously and he glanced to Blaise, then to Draco, and his eyes widened even further. His eyes flicked back and forth between Harry and Draco several times. "You're with Malfoy?" he squeaked.

Draco smirked at Neville, as Harry and Blaise burst out laughing. "Yes, Harry bloody Potter is my boyfriend," Draco drawled, answering for Harry.

Harry leaned back against Draco and made himself comfortable. "It's kind of a long story.”

"I'm listening," Neville said weakly.

So, Harry launched into his explanations.

~*~*~*~

"You know Ron and Hermione are going to kill you once they find out, don't you?" Neville asked.

Harry snorted. "They're not going to be happy with me, but I'm not too worried about them killing me if Draco didn't." 

"Don't get him started on the Granger/Weasley issue," Draco drawled. "He can get enough guilt going on his own."

Neville suddenly grinned, some of the pieces of the elaborate puzzle Harry had created, coming together for him. "I know why you wanted Harry to tell me," he said knowingly.

Draco scowled at him, as Harry frowned in confusion. "Draco already told us why."

"He told you part of it," Neville said, still grinning at Draco. Neville's confidence had climbed dramatically now that he knew who Harry was. "You really do love Harry, don't you?" he asked Draco.

"Yes," Draco said irritably.

Harry quirked an eyebrow at him. "And this is a source of irritation at the moment for you because . . ." he trailed off expectantly.

"Because Neville's just figured out that Draco's a real softie when it comes to you," Blaise said to Harry, with a wide grin gracing his features. "Draco's tough reputation has just been ruined in front of someone he's taunted for so many years."

"Ah, the reputation issue," Harry said in sudden understanding.

"Yes, trying to turn me into a bloody Gryffindor," Draco sneered.

"I know, love," Harry said, with a roll of his eyes. "Although, I thought we'd established that you'd never make a good Gryffindor."

"Well, it's not keeping you from trying to ruin my reputation," Draco said.

Harry frowned. He knew Draco was joking, but Harry remembered that he hadn't started this one. "Why did you want me to tell Neville?" he asked curiously.

"I already told you," Draco snapped.

"No, you didn't," Neville said knowingly.

"Longbottom, you could shut up now," Draco drawled.

Harry looked between the two of them. "Neville, what do you think the reason is?"

Draco glared, but this time Neville ignored him. "Because I'll be a link to Gryffindor for you," Neville answered Harry. "I can bring you up-to-date with everyone, more so than you can get out of anyone in the DA. I think Malfoy wanted you to tell me mainly to make you happy."

"Seriously?" Harry asked Draco.

"If I tell you yes, will I get rewarded for it?" Draco asked innocently.

Harry laughed. "Of course."

"Then the answer is yes," he said.

"Then I will reward you tonight," Harry said with a grin, to the sound of Blaise and Neville's laughter.

"Why not now?" Draco pouted.

Harry arched a brow. "Possibly because we came here to try to convince Neville to give Blaise a chance, and technically we still haven't done that yet?"

"Longbottom, hurry up and tell Blaise you'll go out with him," Draco said.

Neville rubbed at his eyes. "I think Malfoy just ordered me to go out with a Slytherin," he muttered to himself in disbelief.

"Will you now?" Blaise asked anxiously.

"I did order you," Draco drawled. "Blaise is driving me mental with his obsession over you."

"I think it's kind of nice," Neville said quietly. He hesitated, looking like he was about ready to say something more, but then decided against it.

Harry looked at him with understanding. "You like Blaise, but find it hard to believe he'd like you that much in return," he said softly.

Neville flushed, but he nodded despite his embarrassment.

"But I do like you!" Blaise exclaimed.

"Stop!" Draco interjected quickly, startling the others. "Angel, I think it's time we left. I do not need to sit here and listen to what I just _know_ is coming," he said with a grimace.

Harry rolled his eyes, but nodded in agreement. "You two need to figure things out," he said to Blaise and Neville.

Harry and Draco got up to leave, but Neville stood as well, asking to speak to Harry alone for a minute. Draco heaved an impatient sigh, but waved them off.

"Is this really not just a big prank?" Neville asked Harry quietly, desperately wanting this last bit of reassurance.

"No, Neville, it's not a prank," Harry answered reassuringly. "Blaise has come to be one of my best friends. He is a little . . . excitable," he admitted with a grin. "But he's a good bloke and, believe me, he likes you a lot."

"I really like him, too," Neville admitted. "I just never thought anything could really come of it. It's kind of hard to take all of this in."

Harry snorted. "I understand that. Try living my life for awhile, it gets interesting," he said wryly.

"You're really doing all right though, aren't you?" Neville said. It was more of a statement than a question, and his look said that he was relieved to know Harry was okay and was happy for him.

"Yeah, I am," Harry admitted. "My life is far too complicated right now, but I've never been happier."

"I'm glad for you," Neville said, smiling at Harry.

Harry looked at Neville seriously. "If you really like Blaise, then go for it. I knew that going out with Draco was going to be a huge risk, but I liked him a lot, so I took that chance. It's one of the best decisions I've made in my life." 

Neville's brow was furrowed in thought as he took in Harry's words. 

"I know I'm still going to have a lot of explaining to do when certain people find out, but when it comes down to it, it's my life and I can choose for myself who I want to be with, and so can you," Harry said quietly. "You'll end up being questioned, but if this is what you want, then I'm behind you."

Harry smirked suddenly. "Believe it or not, Draco will support you and Blaise, too."

Neville gave Harry a bemused smile. "Well, with Malfoy supporting me, how could I possibly say no to Blaise."

Harry burst out in laughter. "Neville, you're hilarious! You go work things out with Blaise, and I'll get Draco out of your way."

~*~*~*~

"Neville Longbottom. Sitting at the Slytherin table." Severus was muttering and pinching the bridge of his nose, the very idea of what he'd witnessed still disturbing him.

Harry smirked, pouring his father a glass of scotch and passing it to him. Severus accepted it gratefully. "I did warn you this was coming," Harry said.

Severus glared at him. "I give you Zabini, and you return with Longbottom."

Harry laughed. "They're people, not gifts!"

Severus arched a brow. "Do you deny that I gave you Zabini?"

"Well, no," Harry said slowly, frowning a little at his father.

"So, I repeat. I give you Zabini and you return with Longbottom," Severus declared haughtily.

"Gods, you sound like Draco," Harry muttered. He smirked suddenly. "Or you sound like Lucius. I think you two are spending too much time together."

Severus was frowning now, as he thought about what Harry said. "Perhaps you are correct," he said slowly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I was joking. It just sounds like something the high and mighty Malfoys would say," he said sardonically.

Severus continued to frown, staring into the glass he was holding.

"Father?" Harry asked in concern. "Is something wrong?"

Severus finally looked up at him, his gaze pensive. "I am simply wondering how you and Draco truly feel about Lucius and me being together."

Harry gazed at him, a little confused as well as concerned. "I don't understand. You know Draco and I think it's great that you and Lucius are together."

"Perhaps," Severus said simply.

"Father?" Harry asked. "What's this all about? You and Lucius are good together. You've had no one and Lucius has had that stuck-up, snobby bitch he's been saddled with for so many years."

What Harry said seemed to catch Severus' interest and Harry frowned again, but continued. "Draco's ecstatic that his father is with you, and that Lucius finally divorced Narcissa. Lucius being thrown in Azkaban wasn't fun, but it did have its side benefits. Draco's happy she's off in France, or wherever, and that he doesn't have to deal with her anymore. Not that he ever had to deal with her much anyway, from what I gather," Harry said wryly.

"I thought he felt better than that regarding his mother," Severus stated evenly.

Harry snorted derisively. "You really don't want to get him started, or he'll be going off forever, ranting about the lousy mother he had." He shrugged. "Of course, it's only with me that he'll say anything."

"Harry," Severus said his name seriously, gazing at Harry intently. "I don't want you to think that I did not love your mother. Lily was an amazing woman."

Harry finally understood, and went to go snuggle up with his father, who seemed to actually need the close contact and reassurance more than him for a change. "Father, I know you loved Mum. I can tell it in your voice every time you talk about her. Much as we might both wish it, she's not here now, though."

Severus' arms tightened around Harry. "I don't want my actions to cause you to think any less of your mother."

Harry smiled softly, his head resting on his father's chest. "Father, I'm not going to think any less of Mum—or you," he said pointedly. "It's been a long, long time. It's far past time for you to have someone to love you again."

He paused, preparing himself to get shoved off his father's lap. "Of course, I find it interesting that you've switched genders with the people you've chosen to love in your life," he stated cheekily. He laughed as he was unceremoniously dumped on the floor.

"Impertinent brat," Severus sneered at him. The sneer would have been a lot more effective without the affection in the tone.


	36. Chapter 36

"Angel? How is it that you can get away with things like this?" Draco asked, standing in front of the mirror, _still_ fixing his hair. "No one else could even remotely get away with something like this party." Draco still sounded a bit incredulous, despite the fact that he knew more of the details than almost everyone else.

Harry was sprawled out on the sofa, _still_ waiting for Draco. "I've got more connections than everyone else?" he suggested.

Draco snorted in amusement. "Yes, I'd say you have more connections. You've got Dumbledore turning a blind eye and yet, at the same time, helping you with the other professors. Anybody that would cause problems is being redirected somehow."

"Especially Filch," Harry agreed with a grimace. "I don't know what task Albus has set for him tonight, but Filch sure looked excited earlier when I saw him. All I know is that Albus assured me, in his roundabout, vague manner, that Filch wouldn't be out patrolling the corridors tonight."

"And your father is generally the only other person out patrolling the corridors at night," Draco drawled.

"I know," Harry said with a wry grin. "He doesn't really have a problem with this party, but he's insisted on confiscating the Marauder's Map from me tonight."

"You mean he's going to be watching us on the map?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Kind of," Harry admitted. "His only real rule is that everyone must stay in the Room of Requirement where the party is, all night if they really want, but that if or when they leave, they have to go straight back to the dorms." It was a rule that he could easily follow, so he didn’t mind.

"So, are you ready to go now?" he asked, hoping to get Draco moving finally.

"Yes, I'm ready," Draco drawled, smirking at Harry. Harry jumped up, happy to be going. "Although, I'm kind of thinking I'd rather stay here," he said, looking Harry over again.

Draco himself was dressed like Harry often was on a day to day basis. He was wearing black leather trousers with a tight black t-shirt and black boots. It was quite the contrast to the pressed, tailored trousers and silk shirts that he generally wore. Harry, on the other hand, took his wardrobe choice a step further for the party.

Harry was wearing dark green leather trousers, the extra touch being the snake cut-outs on the sides that ran from hip to ankle, showing tantalizing bits of skin and making it very clear that he wasn't wearing anything underneath. His tight-fitting, sleeveless silver shirt shimmered slightly as he moved. With the silver snake earring dangling from his ear, and Suziana wrapped around his upper arm, he couldn't have looked much more Slytherin.

Harry gave Draco a wicked grin. "Who says we can't have our fun at the party?" he asked, looking Draco over as well. "There's no way I'm going to be able to keep my hands off you until we get back here again, but we are going, and we're going now."

"You planning on turning us into exhibitionists again?" he asked, laughing at Harry as they did finally start out. 

Harry paused before actually leaving the room. "You know, this could come back and haunt me when people find out who I am," he said thoughtfully. "But I don't think I really care. I never plan on being an exhibitionist, but if it happens, it happens." 

"Works for me," Draco drawled.

~*~*~*~

They stepped into the Room of Requirement and simply gazed disbelievingly around at the room. Blaise had gone all out for this party and had obviously worked with the Room of Requirement itself to help him out. Harry had to wonder how long Blaise had been practicing with the room to get it to come out like this.

Instead of the normal DA room, it looked like a slightly risqué dance club. Harry suddenly understood why Blaise had wanted to see one of Harry's memories about the dance clubs he'd gone to early in the summer.

There was a large dance floor in the very centre of the room, fancy lights and all. There was a sound system with a small stage off to one side, and Harry had helped Blaise come up with charms allowing that type of device to play at Hogwarts. He just hadn't realized exactly what Blaise had in mind. 

On the opposite side of the dance floor were a couple of buffet tables, holding all manner of food and drink. Surrounding the remaining perimeter of the dance floor were small tables for people to eat and drink while watching the dancers.

Around the outside edge of the room were comfortable sofas and chairs arranged in various groupings. The torches along the walls were dimmed, providing plenty of shadowy corners for people to snog or behave in a slightly more risqué manner. The atmosphere practically encouraged it.

There was a large pathway between the furniture groupings and the tables around the dance floor for people to work their way around the room. 

"Oh, he didn't," Harry breathed.

Draco snickered. "I think he did, actually."

Considering Blaise's often over-exuberant personality, the decorations were actually fairly subtle. At first glance, the colour scheme of red, white, and black seemed like a curious choice for a party hosted by Slytherins, but it looked awesome for a dance club. The walls, floor and ceiling were black, there was plush black carpeting everywhere besides the dance floor, and the furniture was a combination of red and white.

Looking a little closer, however, the white accent pillows on the red sofas were shaped like angel wings. The high back red chairs at the small dining tables appeared to have red devil horns coming up on either side of the cross pieces making up the back of each chair. The white tablecloths on the buffet tables appeared to have a feathered edge along the bottom. The torch brackets along the walls all looked like little devils holding the flames.

Harry couldn't see much on the buffet tables from where he stood, aside from the two huge punch bowls on either end, one with red punch and one that was white somehow. He was sure that both were already well spiked. What Harry was also fairly certain of without looking was that there would be things like angel food cake and devil's food cake. Certainly, appetizers would include things like devilled eggs and devilled crab.

"Angels and Devils?" Harry groaned. "Draco, look what you started."

Draco was still snickering. "I didn't tell him to do this, but I must admit that I like it."

"You would," Harry muttered. "Helps bring your reputation back up to snuff after the other night."

"Exactly," Draco smirked.

He looked around the room again, this time paying more attention to the people. There were a lot of students there, considering that most of the fifth, sixth and seventh years had come. So far things seemed to be going a little slow, though. 

Harry and Draco had been late, things should have been really going by now. Instead, people seemed to be wandering around, staring in awe at the room, or they were watching each other a little nervously, everyone in their usual little groups. This was not going to cut it. 

"Where's Blaise?" Draco demanded suddenly. He seemed to be on the same wavelength as Harry.

"I don't know," Harry answered, his eyes searching the room. Harry and Draco themselves were still in the shadows by the door and no one seemed to have noticed them yet.

Draco grabbed Harry's hand. "Let's go," he said, heading for the empty dance floor and the stage. As they entered the room fully, they soon became the centre of attention. "Blaise!" Draco yelled as they moved. "Wherever you are, get your arse out here now!"

Blaise popped up from behind the sound system with a cheerful grin, as Harry and Draco made it to the dance floor. "There you two are!" he exclaimed. Blaise paused as he watched them walk towards him and step onto the stage. "Wow," he breathed. "You two have dressed to kill tonight, haven't you?"

Harry and Draco smirked at their friend. "Of course," Draco drawled. "Now, why hasn't this party started?" 

Blaise shrugged. "I think everyone's a little nervous," he said quietly. "We're used to working together in the DA, but you know we still don't socialize together a lot." 

Neville chose that moment to step forward, reaching for Blaise's hand. "One couple can only have so much impact in just a few days," Neville said softly, with a small smile.

Blaise snorted. "Unless you're Dustin and Draco." Neville nodded in agreement.

"True," Draco smirked. "Angel certainly does have a way of making an impact."

"Oh, what do you think of the theme?" Blaise asked eagerly.

Harry could see Draco out of the corner of his eye, watching him with amusement. Harry pointedly ignored him. "Angels and Devils, Blaise?" Harry questioned.

"Yep, it seemed absolutely perfect since we owe this party to the two of you," Blaise said happily.

"You know you've made Draco the devil?"

"Of course," Blaise answered cheerfully. "Draco likes being evil and I thought he needed an ego boost after his sacrifices earlier this week."

Harry gave a long-suffering sigh as Draco grinned happily, not realizing that he was totally belying his 'evil' image. What Harry was happy to see, was that Draco wasn't always wearing that damnable 'Malfoy mask' all the time anymore. Even around others he was loosening up and relaxing more.

"Anyway," Harry said pointedly, attempting to get off this whole subject and back to the real problem. "We need to get this party started." Almost everyone in the room was watching them, likely waiting to see what Harry would do.

"Then do something," Blaise said with a shrug. "You're the motivator around here."

"What are you going to do?" Draco asked Harry. "It's not like you can dance or anything," he said dryly.

Harry and Blaise broke out in wicked grins as they exchanged a glance. Blaise had kept Harry's little secret for him, so that Harry could surprise Draco at the party. "Are you saying you don't want to dance with me?" Harry asked Draco innocently.

Draco was eyeing them both suspiciously. "I think I'll sit out and let you dance with Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky there first, and then decide."

Harry frowned just a little. "You sure?"

"Go," Draco said dismissively, smirking at Harry.

"Neville, do you mind?" Harry asked.

Neville shook his head, eyeing the empty dance floor. "I'll wait until there's more people out there," he said nervously.

"Well, all right then," Harry said with a grin. "Get something fast ready?" he asked Blaise.

Blaise grinned back and nodded, before disappearing behind the sound system again. "Come on, Longbottom," Draco said with a long-suffering sigh. "I guess you're with me while we wait for these two hyper party boys to get things going around here."

Neville stared at Draco a little wide-eyed, but followed him over to one of the empty tables regardless. Harry smirked at the extremely unlikely duo before finally turning around on the stage to face everyone else.

"All right, everyone!" Harry said, beaming widely at the crowd. "I'm not sure what everyone is waiting for, but we're here to party tonight. There's only one rule. You can stay for a couple of hours or you can party all night long if you want. The only thing is, if you leave this room, you have to go straight back to your dormitories. This room is the only place we're allowed to be." 

He glanced around at all of the faces gazing back at him. "Trust me," he said seriously. "My father will know if you're out wandering anywhere else. Even though I've made the appropriate arrangements, this party is definitely still unofficial." He noticed the shudders that went through many of the students, and was fairly satisfied that he'd got his message across.

Harry grinned again as Blaise stepped up beside him and handed him a glass of scotch. Glancing over at Draco, he realized that Blaise had already delivered drinks to Neville and Draco. Lifting his glass in salute, Draco mirrored his action before they downed their drinks. 

Blaise took the glass back. "Ready?" he asked cheerfully.

"Start it," Harry answered Blaise before addressing the crowd again. "Drink up, dance, socialize and let's party!"

Suddenly, Harry heard the beginning strains of AC/DC's 'Have a Drink On Me' beginning to blare from the speakers. "We planning on passing out a few drinks first?" he asked Blaise, body already beginning to move to the beat. 

Blaise grinned as the two of them jumped off the stage and practically bounced their way over to the punch bowls. Blaise started quickly filling glasses of punch and Harry started handing them to anyone who was near. Everyone accepted them automatically, but for different reasons. Some accepted simply because they wanted the drink and would grin at Harry as he handed them a glass. Some accepted automatically, staring wide-eyed at Harry and Blaise as they bounced around. 

Pansy came over and with a wide grin of her own, began helping Harry, passing out glasses to the people that were simply standing around not doing much of anything. Harry gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and a whispered thanks before he took off for the dance floor again. Nott had taken over filling glasses for Blaise, and he was back as well.

Blaise had set it up to play Billy Idol's 'Dancing With Myself' next and Harry and Blaise took advantage of the empty dance floor to literally dance by themselves. Feet moving, heads bobbing to the beat, bodies twisting, the two of them were off in their own individual little worlds.

Everyone watching could easily see that the two were having a blast and they were extremely good dancers. Blaise brought his natural enthusiasm onto the dance floor and his movements were wild and carefree. He continued to grin widely, his arms flaring through the air above his head, and his feet moving almost frantically to the beat as he worked his way around the dance floor.

Harry had discovered his natural grace somewhere along the line since the Yule Ball in fourth year. He'd gone to a few clubs at the beginning of the summer where he'd finally learned how to dance. Two years before, he'd been freaked by the idea of leading the dancing, but now he'd gained so much confidence in himself that he let loose and wasn't inhibited in any way.

With the next song, Harry and Blaise came together to dance. This was a completely different dance, dancing to 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' by Def Leppard. Without ever physically touching each other they managed to put on the illusion of sex on the dance floor. Hips would rock in synchronization. Arms swaying above his head, Harry would slowly bend his knees, giving the impression that he was slithering down Blaise's body before moving back up, body continually moving to the beat.

The wide grins and the fact that they never touched belied their illusion, but it was sexy nonetheless and they were clearly having a great time. Halfway through the song, Harry turned to dance with his back to Blaise and the two of them smirked over at their actual partners. Draco and Neville were staring at them with gobsmacked expressions. 

Harry knew they were both completely shocked that not only could Harry dance now, but that he could dance like that. He was also certain that his and Blaise's partners were a little bit turned on by the sexy sight of them dancing. The shining silver intensity of Draco's eyes, that Harry could see all the way from where he was, would certainly indicate his interest. Harry sent him a sexy smirk and winked at him before spinning on his heel, continuing to dance.

The song ended and Blaise had gone back to extremely upbeat dance music, likely to be friendlier to more people. With an exchanged glance, they bounced off on opposite sides of the dance floor to the beat of 'Footloose' by Kenny Loggins, and began pulling people out to the dance floor. 

Harry came across Pansy and Seamus first, who were already at the edge of the dance floor slightly bouncing to the beat. He grabbed each of their hands and pulled them back with him, grinning and dancing all the while. He danced with them for several beats before heading off the dance floor again. 

He spotted Ginny looking curious but nervous. She protested when Harry grabbed her hand. Glancing around, Harry noticed Dean watching with interest. Harry remembered Ginny asking Ron if Dean was okay to go with, but it didn't seem anything had come of that yet. Harry threw Ginny over his shoulder and gestured with his head for Dean to come with him.

Grinning, Dean followed as Ginny squealed all the way back to the middle of the dance floor from her position on Harry's shoulder. Harry popped her down from his shoulder, and essentially handed her over to Dean. She could only maintain her glare at Harry for a couple of moments before she grinned and finally began dancing with Dean. Harry slapped Dean on the shoulder as he went in search of more dance partners.

With Blaise doing the same on the other side of the room, and more people coming out to dance on their own, soon they had a lot of people dancing and finally relaxing. Harry danced to a couple more songs as he worked his way around the room before he finally went to join Draco and Neville again.

Harry collapsed happily into the chair beside Draco, his breathing heavy from the exertion of all the dancing he'd just done. Smirking, Draco pushed a glass of water in front of Harry, which he greedily drank down. Blaise soon appeared and collapsed next to Neville, guzzling down his own glass of water.

"Well, you two sure know how to get a party started," Neville said, smiling at them. 

Draco snorted. "I'll say. That wasn't quite what I had been expecting, Angel."

Smiling, Harry leaned over to give Draco a quick kiss. "I know you weren't. I did ask you if you wanted to dance with me."

"I don't think I have the necessary enthusiasm that you two have to get an entire room full of people motivated to dance," Draco said dryly.

The other three laughed. "No, love, I don't think it's quite your scene," Harry agreed.

Draco snorted. "I didn't realize it was quite your scene either."

Harry shrugged. "I just want to have a good time and make sure everyone else has a good time, too. Everybody's been working extra hard this year."

Draco eyed Harry contemplatively as he handed over a glass of scotch, eyes narrowed marginally. "You know, if I didn't know exactly what you'd given up to get these two together, I'd have to worry about that little dance of yours."

Blaise looked a little nervous suddenly. "It was just all in fun, Draco," he said earnestly. "It didn't mean anything."

"I know that," Draco retorted. "With the way you've been going off about Longbottom, I'm sure as fuck not worried about you."

Blaise and Neville flushed. The two were sitting close together and Harry was sure they were holding hands under the table. Harry himself was now turned sideways in his chair and leaning up against Draco, with Draco's arm wrapped casually around him. Harry tilted his head back to look up at Draco.

"You aren't actually worried about me either," Harry said smugly, smirking up at Draco.

Draco gave him a wry smile. "No, I'm not," he admitted. "But if you do it again, I might have to kill you."

Harry laughed, reaching up to the back of Draco's head and pulling him down for a heated kiss. They gradually eased up the pressure of the kiss until Harry whispered against Draco's lips. "You're not worried because you know I'm completely and totally yours."

"Mine," Draco agreed possessively.

Harry smiled happily, perfectly content where he was in Draco's arms. Draco was looking quite satisfied as well.

"You two really are _together_ together, aren't you?" Neville asked, watching them with a sense of awe.

"Yes," Harry answered softly, understanding perfectly what Neville meant.

"I just never . . ." Neville trailed off, darting a nervous glance at Draco.

Draco quirked an eyebrow. "Never what?"

"Er, I just never thought of you as the type of person that would . . . well, would trust someone like you seem to trust Dustin," Neville admitted. "It's obvious to everyone how much Dustin means to you."

Harry felt Draco's slight shrug with his head resting against Draco's shoulder. "I trust him with my life, quite literally," Draco admitted quietly. "It doesn't make sense to trust him with my life but not to trust him on the dance floor with a friend."

"Ah, my Draco's growing up," Harry smirked.

"Shut up, you prat," Draco drawled. "Just because I trusted you once, doesn't mean I want you doing it again."

"I don't plan on doing it again," Harry admitted, still smirking. "I had a point to prove, though."

"And you proved it," Draco agreed with a slightly amazed tone. "I didn't have a fucking clue that you could dance like that."

They lapsed into talk about clubs and music, talking, drinking and having a good time. The consensus was that Harry was probably one of the few in the room, aside from some of the seventh years, who had ever been in a club resembling this. Technically they were all still too young. Harry was teased for getting away with something else that was against the rules when he admitted that the group of friends he'd met had snuck him into the clubs.

All the Muggle music was a combination between Harry and Blaise's hidden fascination with music. For Blaise, it had to do with something both fun and forbidden. His father would have seriously punished him if he'd ever found out Blaise had a huge collection of Muggle music. Music was fun and Blaise liked it all. Given the changed circumstances with Harry, Blaise was now being given an opportunity to play all the Muggle music he wanted to. It didn't matter that he was a Slytherin who'd been forbidden to associate with anything Muggle.

Harry, on the other hand, had grown up in the Muggle world. He'd grown up with Dudley who was given everything, whether he actually used it or not. Harry was fairly certain that Dudley had enough CD's that he could start his own music store. Harry had developed a fondness for 80's music, because those were generally the CD's that Dudley listened to only once or not at all. Over the years, Harry would listen to those CD's, simply because it would irritate Dudley. Of course, Harry listened to all the current popular music, too, because Dudley would play it constantly.

The 'club' they were currently in had finally taken off. No one seemed to care that music was playing that many of them didn't recognize. Everywhere they looked, people were dancing, eating, and laughing. They didn't need to leave their table to circulate as everyone came around to them. Some stayed to chat for awhile and some stopped mainly to say thanks to Blaise and Harry for the party. Harry was always quick to point out that Blaise was the one who had put most of it together, while Blaise would point out that without Harry it wouldn't be happening at all. Until Draco got sick of them both and started answering for them.

Draco whispered into Harry's ear. "We know I'd never make a good Gryffindor, but I'm beginning to think you could turn Blaise into one pretty easily."

Harry snickered as he nodded in agreement. Blaise and Neville were getting closer and closer together as the evening wore on. Both were smiling and seemed to be happy with each other.

"Hey, Blaise," Harry called, getting his attention. "How come you haven't got Neville out there to dance yet?"

Blaise and Neville exchanged a glance before looking at Harry and Draco a little warily. Harry looked up at Draco, who was frowning. Draco obviously didn't know what was up with the two of them either.

"How come you two aren't out dancing?" Blaise asked Harry, rather than answering him.

Harry's frown deepened. "Because I'm honestly not sure how well I'll be able to control myself if I get Draco on the dance floor," he admitted absently. He was trying to figure out why Blaise was attempting to avoid the question.

Draco was startled into laughter. "I was wondering why you hadn't dragged me out there yet after your enthusiasm earlier."

Harry smirked, effectively distracted. "The dance with Blaise was completely innocent compared to how I want to dance with you." He frowned. "How come you haven't wanted to dance at all so far?"

Draco shrugged. "It requires moving and I'm comfortable where I am," he said lazily. "Besides, we've got all night. We've only been here a couple of hours."

Harry glanced around the room. "Everyone's starting to get a little tipsy by now and things are likely to get more interesting, aren't they?"

"Maybe," Draco agreed. "Granger's even managed to drag Weasley out onto the dance floor now."

Harry blinked. "You're right. Wow, didn't think that was possible."

"There's a lot more that becomes possible when you're drunk," Draco drawled.

Harry frowned down into his glass, trying to remember just how much he'd drank himself so far. He was used to having a glass or two of scotch regularly, but he certainly wasn't used to actually being drunk. He was thinking that maybe he'd better slow down. It wouldn't do for him to get drunk and start spilling secrets.

"Draco? How much have you had to drink so far?" Harry asked, realizing suddenly that Draco had been a lot more mellow than he generally was around a lot of other people.

Draco was frowning now, too. "I don't know," he admitted slowly.

"Maybe we should stop now," Harry said, and Draco nodded in agreement.

Harry glanced over at Blaise and Neville, still frowning. "How much have you two had?"

Another exchanged glance between the two before Blaise answered for them both. "We haven't had any," he admitted quietly.

Harry and Draco both quirked an eyebrow. "None?" Harry asked incredulously. "But this is your celebration party!"

Blaise was shaking his head. "We weren't sure how safe it'd be for us to drink, and we wanted to be available to make sure you two could celebrate. You two earned it more than anyone else. But if one of you starts saying too much, then we can hopefully stop you in time."

Draco snorted. "It seems someone was a step ahead of you for once, Angel."

Harry was blinking furiously as his mind tried to comprehend. "Draco?"

"Hmmmm?" Draco murmured.

"We've got good friends, don't we?"

Draco frowned across the table at Neville. "Are we friends?"

Neville swallowed, glancing at Blaise instead of answering. Blaise simply nudged him, encouraging him to answer Draco. "Erm, I guess so," Neville answered.

Draco was still frowning as he shifted his gaze to Blaise and Harry before looking back at Neville. "I never thought we'd have a couple of common interests," he said. "But I suppose that works." He stuck his hand across the table. "Friends?"

Neville's eyes widened, but he let go of Blaise's hand and slowly reached out and shook Draco's hand. "Friends," he answered, his voice full of disbelief that this was happening. Neville didn't have the advantage of alcohol that Draco did.

Harry was beaming brightly at Draco. "I love you," he said happily.

"That's good," Draco said, sounding somewhat bemused. "Because I think I just made friends with Neville Longbottom for you."

"And Blaise," Harry reminded him.

"Yes, and for Blaise, too," Draco said. Blaise was beaming as happily as Harry. Neville was looking as bewildered as Draco, though.

A new song came on and Blaise smirked at Harry. "Hey, Dustin, here's a theme song for you for you-know-who."

"You don't even have to twist the words much," Harry agreed. It was Blondie's 'One Way or Another'. "One way or another, I will get him," he sneered.

"Oh, no," Draco declared. "You are not going to start thinking about war tonight. Come on, let's go dance," he said, pushing at Harry to get him to sit up from where Harry was still lounging against him.

Harry got up willingly, more than ready to get back out onto the dance floor again, excited to finally be able to dance with Draco. Glancing over at Neville and Blaise, Harry saw Neville with his eyes closed and taking deep fortifying breaths as Blaise urged him to go out and dance, too. Leaving them to it, Harry grabbed Draco's hand and dragged him out to the dance floor.

The two of them danced several fast dances, and Harry wasn't one bit surprised to see that Draco could dance well. He couldn't really remember Draco dancing at the Yule Ball, but Draco had always had a lot of confidence and a natural grace that bode well for his dancing skills.

Harry looked around in surprise, searching for Blaise when the music shifted to Nickelback's 'Feeling Way too Damn Good'.

"Like this song?" Draco asked, his mouth close to Harry's ear.

Harry nodded. "'Something's gotta go wrong, cuz I'm feelin' way too damn good'," he sang along with the music.

It wasn't exactly a slow song, but Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist, pulling him close. Harry's arms circled Draco's neck, his head resting on Draco's chest. Draco tilted his head to whisper in Harry's ear again. "I told you that you're not allowed to think that way, especially tonight."

Harry brought his head up, capturing Draco's lips in an almost desperate kiss, hoping beyond anything that he wasn't dreaming. What he knew for sure was that he _was_ feeling damn good pressed up against Draco.

"'Figured You Out' is playing next, Dustin." Harry pulled back from Draco far enough to grin at Blaise, who had popped up beside them. "Thought you might like that one," Blaise said, grinning wickedly.

Draco was eying them both warily. 

"It's from the same group," was the only answer Harry gave to Draco's questioning look, his grin turning even more wickedly gleeful than Blaise's grin.

They'd come to a standstill in the middle of the dance floor, but now Harry began to move again. At the opening line of the song, Draco's eyes widened marginally, but he quickly picked up the beat and began dancing with Harry.

The lyrics weren't completely appropriate, but Harry liked the ironies and similarities. More than anything, it was an awesome song to dance to, especially with Draco. Letting the music flow through him, body moving to the pounding rhythm, Harry bent his knees and slowly slithered down Draco's body. His hands trailed down Draco's chest as he moved lower, until they were grasping Draco's rocking hips.

Harry looked up at Draco through his lashes, the suggestiveness not lost on Draco, with Harry's mouth merely a couple inches from his leather clad erection. Harry ghosted his lips across the leather as he slithered back up, hands running smoothly up Draco's thighs until they cupped his arse.

Draco's fingers caught in the snake cut-outs at Harry's hips as they ground against each other to the beat of the music. Harry was losing himself in the sensations—fast. Eyes closed, he turned in Draco's arms. Back pressed tightly to Draco's chest as they continued to dance, Draco's hands were once again firmly grasping Harry's hips as they ground leather clad bodies together. 

Harry's head tilted to the side, allowing Draco to freely feast on his neck. Harry's hands were ghosting suggestively over his own body until he brought his arms up and behind his head, fingers tangling in Draco's hair. 

Harry moaned, the sound coming from deep within him. The combination of the pounding music, the alcohol and Draco himself—all of it was highly intoxicating.

Draco answered his moan with one of his own. "I need you," he whispered in Harry's ear, before sticking his tongue inside and lapping at Harry's ear.

"Yessss," Harry hissed, opening his eyes to blink at his surroundings. He paused as the song ended, reminded that him and Draco weren't even close to being alone. He didn't particularly care, but suddenly he had no idea where to go. Draco didn't seem to have the same problem, pushing Harry away enough to grab his hand before pulling him off the dance floor and to one of the far corners of the room.

As Harry blindly followed Draco, he vaguely realized that an awful lot of their peers had obviously stopped whatever they were doing and had been watching them. They parted now, freely allowing Draco and Harry to pass by.

Draco pushed him unceremoniously onto one of the red sofas in the shadowed corner of the room before falling on top of him, limbs tangling as mouths met and attempted to devour each other. Harry wrapped his legs around Draco's waist, fervently wishing that they weren't wearing so many clothes but unwilling to waste the time to take them off now. Harry had already been seriously worked up on the dance floor and was very close now, with Draco grinding his hips into Harry's, the pressure building more and more as leather clad erections pressed together. It didn't take much longer before they were groaning their release and Draco was collapsed boneless on top of him.

"That wasn't what I wanted," Draco mumbled into Harry's neck.

"Worked for the moment," Harry murmured, brushing sweaty locks of hair away from Draco's face.

"I'll say," came the sound of Blaise's voice from nearby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs mentioned are the property of the respective artists:  
> AC/DC's 'Have a Drink On Me'  
> Billy Idol's 'Dancing With Myself'  
> Def Leppard's 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'  
> Kenny Loggins' 'Footloose'  
> Blondie's 'One Way or Another'  
> Nickelback's 'Feeling Way Too Damn Good' & 'Figured You Out'


	37. Chapter 37

Harry turned his head slightly and Draco shifted so they could see Blaise and Neville sitting on a sofa across from them. Blaise and Neville's eyes were wide and glazed over, simply watching Harry and Draco.

"You two always do this in front of other people?" Neville asked, his voice coming out high-pitched in his disbelief.

"Hey, we're still fully clothed," Harry protested in amusement.

"Not because we wanted to be, though," Draco muttered.

"Well, no," Harry agreed. "We were in a bit of a hurry."

"That's one way for the leaders in our school to get everyone's attention." Harry tilted his head back at the sound of Hermione's wry tones. Hermione, Ron, Pansy and Seamus were standing there looking at Harry and Draco.

"You blokes decent?" Seamus asked cheerfully.

Harry grinned up at them. "A little sticky, but decent," he answered.

"Ewww! I didn't need to know that," Ron said with a grimace.

"You could leave then," Draco drawled.

"Oh, shush, Draco," Harry said lightly. "Have a seat, guys," he invited the others. As everyone settled themselves in, Draco found his wand and muttered a couple of charms to clean them up. Draco ended up lounging at one end of the sofa with Harry resting with his back comfortably against Draco's chest.

Pansy handed them a couple of glasses of the red punch, which they drank greedily. "I thought you might be thirsty," she said with a grin.

"Thanks," Harry said with a sigh, having guzzled the whole glass. He took Draco's empty glass and leaned over to place them on the large square coffee table in the middle of their grouping of sofas and chairs. He looked up to see Ron and Neville in a heated, although whispered, conversation. Harry suddenly understood why Ron and Hermione had come over. They were checking to make sure Neville was all right.

Glancing to the other side, Harry saw Pansy sitting happily in Seamus' lap. He quirked an eyebrow at her in question.

Pansy shrugged, grinning at Harry. "You started us dancing and, well, we've been having fun," she admitted.

"I'm glad," Harry said, with an answering smile. And he _was_ glad. Seamus was a good enough bloke when he wasn't letting his family dictate his thoughts. Harry snorted inwardly. That sentiment could apply to Pansy and the majority of the Slytherins as well. The war influenced all of them in one way or another.

"Hey," Draco whispered, his arms tightening around Harry. "Quit thinking bad thoughts."

"I'm not," Harry protested weakly.

"Yes, you are," Draco drawled. "I can feel you trying to tense up again."

Harry smiled sheepishly, turning his head to look up at Draco. "You know me awfully damn well."

Draco kissed him lightly before responding, "Someone has to."

Harry blinked, feeling slightly thrown off, but pleased with Draco's casual response. Draco did know him well and not many people knew him at all anymore under the circumstances. Harry snuggled up against Draco, happy that Draco chose to know him so well.

Focusing on the others again, Harry looked over Ron's somewhat cross expression. "So, are you sulking because you're still not satisfied that we're not corrupting Neville, or are you sulking because you think we're stealing him away from Gryffindor?"

Ron started in surprise as Hermione giggled. "I told you Dustin was perceptive enough to figure out that you were coming over here to check on Neville," she said to Ron.

"Well, he had been preoccupied with Malfoy," Ron muttered.

The entire group was laughing at Ron. "Come on, Ron," Harry said cajolingly. "Just admit that Blaise and Neville are good together and it'll be far less painful for you."

"But how can Neville, of all people, be dating a Slytherin?" Ron asked in disbelief, but thankfully not anger.

"Ron, it looks like Seamus might be getting involved with a Slytherin now, too," Neville pointed out.

"It's not right," Ron snapped.

"Why isn't it right?" Blaise demanded, looking a little upset and angry. Harry wondered how much of Blaise's anger was because of the insult to Slytherins, or because Ron was obviously upsetting Neville.

"Slytherins have always treated Neville terribly," Ron stated forcefully, his anger starting to rise as well. "I don't want anyone using my friends and hurting them."

"Ron," Harry said sharply, sitting up straight. He didn't like how Draco was tensing and everyone seemed to be gearing up for a fight.

"What?" Ron snapped, turning towards Harry.

"No one is using your friends and no one is going to hurt them," Harry said, his tone calm but firm. 

"You weren't here the last five years, Dustin," Ron retorted. "Your boyfriend has always gone out of his way to make Neville's life miserable. How do I know that Malfoy and Zabini aren't playing some elaborate trick on him?"

Harry's eyes flashed dangerously and everyone else sat back a little, not wanting to be in the line of fire. Ron swallowed, a little nervous suddenly. Blaise and Neville were staring at Harry, knowing it was Harry, but struck by how very much he looked like Professor Snape when he chose to.

Harry's voice came out in that similar, silky, dangerous tone when he spoke. "Ron, it doesn't surprise me that you have trouble trusting Slytherins. There's a lot of history there," he admitted. "But I find it extremely disturbing that you seem to have so little faith in your friends that you're unwilling to trust their judgment."

"I trust them," Ron protested, albeit a little weakly.

"Do you?" Harry asked. "Is that why you're questioning Neville?"

Ron frowned, his brow furrowed in thought. "There's so many things they could be doing to him to make him think he likes Zabini.”

"True," Harry admitted, ignoring the spluttering protests from Blaise and Neville, staying focused on Ron. "But do you really believe that's what's happening? Do you really believe Blaise has cast some spell on Neville, or that Draco's made him drink some potion to alter his judgment?"

Ron was still frowning as he looked from Neville to Blaise and Draco. His gaze shifted back to Harry, not looking sure how to answer Harry's questions. Harry asked him a couple more. "Do you think it might just be possible that Neville and Blaise actually like each other? Do you think they could've got past all these house rivalries this year?"

"I suppose they could just like each other," Ron finally admitted quietly. "I can't exactly see you allowing Malfoy and Zabini to trick Neville after all you've been doing to break down the rivalries this year."

Harry smiled in satisfaction. "No, I wouldn't. Now, just relax, trust Neville's judgment and be happy for your friend."

Ron sighed heavily. "Nothing's normal anymore," he muttered. "What's Harry going to say about all this when he finds out?" he asked forlornly.

Blaise and Neville started choking, causing Harry and Draco to shoot them warning glares, thankfully unnoticed, as the others were looking at them worriedly. 

"See, even Neville's worried about how Harry's going to react to all this," Ron said knowingly, not actually knowing a thing.

Neville seemed to gather himself together and glared at Ron. "I think Harry will be fine with it," he declared. "Harry has always had faith in me when others didn't."

Ron looked taken aback by Neville's outburst and unsure of how to respond.

"Have a little faith in your friends, Ron," Harry suggested quietly.

Ron looked around at all of them before he sighed and nodded. "You're right," he admitted. "Sorry, Neville."

"It's all right," Neville responded with a slight smile. "It's taken me a little while to get used to this, too, you know." His smile widened as Blaise kissed him on the check. "But I get more benefits from getting used to it faster than you," he added.

Laughter erupted from around the group, Ron shaking his head in resignation even as he grinned at Neville. "Boy, we're sure going to have a lot to explain to Harry when he comes back," he said, still shaking his head. He glanced over to Seamus and Pansy. "Are you two actually going together now?"

Seamus was beaming. "Yes, Neville's snagged himself a Slytherin boy and I've snagged myself a Slytherin girl."

"Hey! You didn't snag me!" Pansy protested, but her grin belied her words. "I snagged you!"

Seamus shrugged unconcernedly. "That works for me, too."

Laughter broke out once again, as Pansy beamed at her new boyfriend. 

"Blaise, go find us some more drinks," Draco demanded. Blaise paused, looking around a little nervously at the company they were in. "You can leave Longbottom here to watch over us," Draco sneered. "We promise to behave."

Blaise glared at him irritably, but with an encouraging nod from Neville, Blaise took off to bring them back more drinks.

Hermione, who'd been quiet since her initial statement when they'd first arrived, was frowning at Draco. "Why would Neville have to watch over you?"

Harry had never been so thankful as when Pansy snorted before answering the question for them. "Blaise just doesn't want to miss Dustin and Draco going at it again."

Everyone laughed, including Hermione, much to the relief of Harry, Draco and Neville. "Do that quite often, do you?" Ron said dryly.

"On occasion," Draco drawled.

Pansy snorted again. "You should see them in the Slytherin common room."

"The Slytherin common room sounds like a fun place," Seamus leered suggestively.

Harry snickered. "It certainly can be. Hey Pansy? Still planning on being a voyeur rather than an exhibitionist?"

Pansy flushed as she glared at Harry for daring to say anything.

"Works for me," Seamus said brightly. "As long as I can watch with her."

Pansy turned her head to stare at her new boyfriend incredulously. Harry and Draco were sniggering. Ron, Hermione and Neville were looking at the other four, a little bit amazed at what they were hearing. 

"Why do I suddenly think Neville and Seamus may have actually got in good by getting together with Slytherins?" Ron asked a little dazedly.

Hermione swatted him on the arm. "You just remember you're still with a Gryffindor.”

"I'm just saying it sounds like the Slytherin common room is slightly more interesting than I've always thought," Ron pouted.

"A few minutes ago you were spouting off about Neville being corrupted by the Slytherins," Hermione said dryly. "It sounds like you're the one being corrupted."

She rounded on Harry and Draco, lips quirking in amusement. "Here I thought you two had become a good influence on the school, and now this."

Harry and Draco shrugged in unison, identical smirks gracing their features. "Weasley seems to think our sexual activities is part of the good influence," Draco drawled.

Hermione's eyes widened as she realized what Draco said was true. She glanced back at Ron, who was smiling smugly, happy with the sudden turn in conversation. Hermione turned to look out over the room, all of them following her gaze.

When Harry and Draco had first entered the room, everyone had still been associating with people in their own houses, nervous and wary about approaching anyone else. Now, however, the room was a complete inter-mix of people. Especially without the school robes distinguishing their houses, it was difficult to spot any groups of people from just one house.

New couples seemed to have sprung up all over the room, just like Pansy and Seamus had got together. There were plenty of same-house couples, but there were also many more couples from two different houses.

It certainly wasn't Dustin and Draco's sexual activities that were getting people together, but it had probably heightened everyone's sexual awareness. The overall relaxed mood that Blaise and Harry had worked to create, along with the alcohol, was breaking down old barriers.

This unusual atmosphere in the middle of Hogwarts was doing a lot to bring the students together on a personal level, rather than just the working relationship that was generated through the DA. Hopefully in the light of day, with everyone sober again and routines back to normal, the new friendships and relationships being formed would carry over from the party.

Hermione turned around again, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You planned all this, didn't you?" she asked, with a broad sweep of her arm.

"Not originally," Harry answered. "It wasn't until Draco recognized the benefit of Neville and Blaise going together, that I realized the significance this party could have on the big picture of uniting the school."

Hermione glanced at Draco. "That explains why you're supporting their relationship."

"Aside from the big picture, I do support my friends," he sneered.

She eyed him contemplatively. "I didn't say you didn't. Not really. I'm simply a little impressed that you're helping to unite the houses on a deeper level."

Draco groaned and dropped his forehead to Harry's shoulder. Harry was snickering as he patted Draco's head in mock sympathy. "It's all right, love."

Neville was grinning widely, but the others were looking confused. Blaise came back then, loaded down with a bowl of punch and several glasses, setting it all on the table. He glanced curiously around at the group. "What'd I miss?"

"Shhh, reputation issue," Harry stage whispered.

"Ah," Blaise said knowingly.

Hermione opened her mouth to ask, but Harry, Blaise and Neville all shook their heads, silently begging her not to say anything. She rolled her eyes, understanding the problem and simply moved to help pass out drinks. With Draco's face still hidden, Harry was the only one who noticed Blaise and Neville casually setting their drinks aside.

"We need to play a game or something," Pansy suggested brightly, happily drinking more of the punch. "We tend to play 'I Never' or 'Truth or Dare' a lot at the Slytherin parties."

"Isn't it getting too late to start something like that?" Harry asked, really not wanting to get into a game of Truth or Dare.

Pansy frowned. "You said this party can go on all night if we want. It's only like . . . I don't know . . . 1:00 or 2:00 or something."

Harry didn't have a response. Pansy was right. It felt like they'd been there forever already, but they did have all night if they wanted. He was also certain that, like him, a lot of the others had taken naps during the day with full intentions of staying up extremely late.

A glance around the room showed that the party was still in full swing. Maybe a few people had disappeared back to the dorms, but if there had been, it certainly wasn't very many. Gradually more people were drifting from the dance floor to the furniture arrangements around the perimeter of the room, though. In fact, Harry suddenly realized that Blaise must have adjusted the volume of the music a little while he was gone, because it wasn't quite as loud as it had been.

"I don't want to do Truth or Dare," Harry whinged. If you have no better response, whinge about it, he decided. He was pleasantly pissed and didn't care if he was a leader. He felt like whinging. "Can't we play . . . oh, I don't know . . . what about Hide 'n Seek or something?"

"Hide 'n Seek?" Pansy asked incredulously as the group laughed. "What are we, like five years old or something?"

Harry looked at them all haughtily. "I think Hide 'n Seek could be quite interesting, say if we were to hide Blaise's clothes. It would be highly entertaining to watch him bouncing around everywhere in search of his clothes." The group was laughing for a different reason now, and several of them were looking halfway interested.

"Hey!" Blaise protested, but he was grinning. "Why can't we hide your clothes instead of mine?”

Draco answered. "I think that's a great idea. I'll give you Angel's clothes, and you can all go off and search for them," he said with a wicked grin.

"Sounds good to me." Harry smirked at the group who'd dared to laugh at his idea.

"What fun would that game be if I wanted to stay here and watch you two?" Pansy pouted.

"Yeah, I want to watch, too." Seamus was pouting right along with his new girlfriend, earning him a few odd looks from the other Gryffindors.

Harry and Draco were snickering. "It'd be a hell of a lot of fun for me," Harry answered.

"No," Pansy stated. "We are not going to play a game where only you two win."

Harry's shoulders slumped. "Fine," he said dejectedly. "Then come up with a better game."

Everyone frowned in thought, trying to come up with other ideas. Harry noticed Blaise and Neville grinning at the rest of them and realized that all the drunks, including himself, probably looked hilarious as they thought out this 'serious' issue of what to do next.

Draco snorted suddenly, startling Harry. "We should've created some image of the Dark Lord and roasted him over a bonfire, celebrating the fact that half of us aren't being forced to accept the Dark Marks right now. That is why we're having this elaborate party in the first place."

"Burning him in effigy!" Hermione exclaimed. "That's a fabulous idea!"

"I don't know, Hermione, we don't have any wood," Ron said, snickering at his girlfriend.

Harry turned away and buried his face in Draco's chest, his body shaking with suppressed laughter. Harry wanted to score one for Ron, being so quick on the uptake for once. Of course, he wasn't supposed to know anything about it. He didn't dare look, sure that Hermione was glaring at Ron now, and if he took one look at her, he was going to completely lose it.

The others were sniggering, albeit a little confused. "Why would you need wood?" Blaise asked curiously. "We could just create a fire with magic."

Ron burst out in full laughter, and Harry was wishing he could join him, as Hermione snapped, "Shut up, Ron."

"But we have no wood," Ron gasped out, finding it hilariously funny. "Tell them, Hermione."

Harry risked taking a peek, and saw Ron poking at Hermione, urging her to explain it to them. Draco's arms wrapped tighter around him. "Angel, are you all right?" he whispered in Harry's ear, sounding confused but concerned with Harry's sudden shaking.

Harry shook his head slightly, lifted his head just a bit where only Draco could see him laughing, not daring to attempt speech. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he was finding it as hilariously funny as Ron. Unfortunately, he couldn't say anything.

Draco's eyes widened when he realized Harry was laughing. "Good story?" he whispered.

Harry nodded his head against Draco's chest, getting Draco's shirt wet with the tears that were now streaming down his cheeks. Ron was still urging Hermione to tell them they had no wood. 

"Oh, fine," Hermione snapped. She quickly explained what had happened when they'd got caught by the Devil's Snare, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

The others were laughing, but then questions started being asked about why the trio had been caught in Devil's Snare in the first place. Hermione, however, had finally spotted Dustin, and a diversion from the questions. "What's wrong with Dustin?" she asked Draco in concern.

That immediately brought everyone's attention to Harry and Draco. "Angel's just a little upset about the reminder of the Dark Lord and that we could've been forced to get the Dark Mark. He's a bit of an emotional drunk," he lied smoothly.

Harry began shaking even more with suppressed laughter, unintentionally lending credence to Draco's lie.

"Well, that plan is definitely out," Pansy said firmly, her voice filled with concern for Harry.

"Thank you," Draco answered graciously. "Now if we could move on to something more pleasant?"

"We could do some karaoke," Blaise suggested quickly, wanting to get things moved along, too, knowing what was really going on with Harry.

"Karo what?" Ron asked.

"It's where just the music plays and you actually sing the words yourself," Blaise explained.

"That doesn't sound like fun," Ron said, confused still.

"It's actually a lot of fun," Hermione said. "I've done it a couple times in the summer."

"But I don't know any of these songs," Pansy whinged. "How could I sing to them?"

"I'd put the words onto a screen for you, so you'd know what the words were and when to sing them, but it would be a lot harder not knowing the songs," Blaise admitted with a shrug. "Otherwise, I would've suggested karaoke hours ago."

"Well, some of us still could do it," Hermione said eagerly.

"No," Pansy pouted. "I still want something that all of us can do."

"Merlin, Pansy," Draco drawled. "You're being a right picky priss tonight."

"I don't care," she said, still pouting. "I'm quite comfortable where I'm at, and don't feel like going back to the dance floor." Seamus was grinning as Pansy snuggled in a little closer.

"I'm happy where I am," Seamus agreed.

Draco tilted his head, acknowledging their point. He didn't particularly feel like moving either.

Ron was rolling his eyes. "So now what?"

Everyone's eyes shifted back to where Harry was still curled up in Draco's arms. "They all looking at me again?" came the muffled sound of Harry's voice.

"Yes," Draco drawled. "Better now?"

"Um, yeah," he answered, sitting up a little. "'Fraid I got your shirt wet though, so you better take it off," he said, tugging at Draco's shirt until Draco pulled it over his head. Harry ran a hand across the smooth skin.

"Mmmm, better," he sighed, resting his cheek back against Draco's bare chest, but facing their friends again, hand continuing to run lazily up and down Draco's side.

"You're not an emotional drunk," Seamus declared with a grin. "You're a manipulative little drunk. First the dance floor and now this."

Harry smirked. "I'm a Slytherin, what do you expect?"

Pansy was smiling but still looking a little concerned. "Are you really all right?"

Harry smiled gently, appreciating her concern even though it was completely unnecessary and she'd likely hex him if she actually knew the truth. "I'm fine. Really." He sat up suddenly and stripped his own shirt off before lying back against Draco. "I'm more fine every minute," he said happily.

"And to think we were actually worried about you," Hermione said wryly.

"Hey, just because Draco has a way of helping him get over it fast, doesn't mean Dustin didn't have a reason to be upset in the first place," Blaise defended.

"Don't go talking about it,” Ron snapped. “If he gets upset again, Malfoy could lose his pants next." 

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Blaise smirked at Ron as everyone else laughed.

"It is bad if Dustin gets upset," Ron said, ignoring the part about Draco and his pants.

"And if Draco loses his pants in the deal?" Blaise asked.

"I don't want to see Malfoy naked," Ron retorted, grimacing a little.

Blaise laughed. "Then you're sitting with the wrong crowd. Even your girlfriend looks interested."

"Hermione?" Ron squeaked, turning to look at her.

"What?" she said defensively. "It's not like I actually want to be with either of them. I just found it . . . interesting to watch them on the dance floor."

Ron shook his head in disbelief. "Neville? Don't you get a little jealous hearing Zabini talk that way?"

Neville smiled. "No, for three reasons."

Everyone looked at him curiously. "What reasons?" Ron asked.

"One, I know that Blaise really likes me and I trust him," Neville said, earning himself a kiss from Blaise. Ron rolled his eyes, waiting for Neville to go on. 

Neville looked over at the half-dressed couple that looked completely content in each other's arms. "Two, do you really see anyone coming between Dustin and Draco? Blaise, Hermione, Pansy, Seamus? Anyone at all? Because I don't. Every one of us here can clearly see that they're meant for each other and aren't about to let anyone come between them."

Everyone was watching Harry and Draco now, as Neville continued. "Whether you're willing to admit it or not, every last one of us is fascinated with them and what they have together," Neville said quietly. "Whether they're duelling in the DA or," he swallowed, "or having sex in front of everyone, they're . . . they're just _together_."

The group was nodding solemnly in agreement, even Ron. "And three?"

Neville grinned. "And three, they're just plain hot together, which turns everyone on. When Dustin and Draco get action, it means anyone watching who has a partner is likely to get action."

Harry and Draco burst out laughing, as did Blaise. Ron and Hermione, and even Pansy and Seamus, the self-proclaimed voyeurs, were staring at Neville incredulously.

"Neville! I can't believe you just said that!" Ron exclaimed.

"Why not?" Neville asked, shrugging lightly. "It's true."

"Draco?" Harry asked.

"Hmmm?" Draco murmured in response.

"Do you get the feeling people are far too interested in our sex life?" Harry asked him curiously.

"We do seem to have a bunch of perverts for friends," Draco agreed thoughtfully.

"Hey, not me," Ron exclaimed. "I'm not wanting to ogle the two of you."

Draco smirked. "No, you seem to be the deprived exception," he said, twisting things back around.

The group fell into laughter again, more drinks were passed around, and the group of Slytherins and Gryffindors simply entertained each other, talking and laughing. This group getting along at the beginning of the year would have been completely impossible. Now, new friendships were slowly forming. 

Liquor continued to flow for six out of the eight, and gradually things turned to the couples, heavy snog and petting sessions ensuing. 

Harry and Draco had been snogging, with hands roaming, for quite awhile already. Boots and socks had been lost long ago as they'd made themselves comfortable. Now, they were clad simply in black and dark green leather.

"Draco, please," Harry groaned into Draco's ear, pressing his hips down and grinding against Draco's erection. "I need more. I need to be inside you."

"Then fuck me," Draco murmured against his neck, hands running up and down Harry's back.

"Here?" Harry asked, lifting himself slightly so he could look at Draco.

"Why not?" Draco asked, quirking a brow.

"Just checking," Harry said, leaning down again to nip at Draco's jaw.

Draco's hands came up, fingers twining in Harry's hair, as Harry began placing open-mouthed kisses randomly over Draco's body, working his way down until he met leather.

Pissed as he was, Harry still made quick work of undoing the fastenings of Draco's trousers and freeing his erection, sitting up to admire for a moment before beginning to shimmy the trousers off of Draco's hips.

"You can't be doing this," came the sound of Ron's high-pitched voice.

"Like hell he can't," Draco growled.

When Harry paused to blink blearily at Ron, Draco shoved him back. Harry made no protest when Draco kicked his trousers off, before working on removing Harry's. Harry moaned lightly when his erection sprang free, far more thankful to be free of the confining leather than he was worried about his friends' reactions.

As Draco tugged at the tight leather, Harry rolled his head lazily, looking around at the group. Ron looked totally gobsmacked, but interested despite himself. Harry smirked lightly to see Ron guzzle down the rest of his drink. Hermione looked completely torn, knowing she should be telling them to stop but not wanting them to. So, she said nothing.

Tipping his head back and arching his neck, Harry watched upside down as Seamus' hand disappeared up Pansy's skirt. Raising his eyes to their faces, he saw Seamus watching avidly as Draco tossed Harry's trousers over the back of the sofa and took advantage of Harry's arched neck by attaching his lips and sucking. Harry's eyes fluttered shut of their own accord, moaning as Draco's naked body pressed against him.

As Draco continued to feast on his neck, Harry forced his eyes half open again to see Pansy gazing at him, half in amusement and half with lust. "Happy, Dustin?" she asked.

"Gods, yes," Harry breathed.

Draco's attention shifted to Harry's collarbone and Harry rolled his head to look across from them. Neville was looking absolutely shocked at Harry's behaviour, but incredibly turned on.

"Dustin?" Neville squeaked.

Harry gave him a slow grin. "Yeah, it's me," he slurred happily. Even pissed as he was, he knew it was awfully shocking behaviour for Harry Potter to be shedding his clothes and having sex in front of his friends. Didn't mean he cared at the moment, though.

His gaze flicked to Blaise, who was grinning like a maniac. Blaise held up a tube of lube, catching Harry's attention. "Want this?" Blaise asked teasingly before tossing it.

Harry caught it easily, seeker reflexes automatically kicking in.

"You brought lube to the party?" Neville squeaked at Blaise.

"Sure," Blaise said with a wicked grin. "Thought they might need it."

Harry started giggling at Neville's half relieved, half disappointed expression. Blaise winked at Harry before turning and pushing Neville to lie back on the cushions before moving to lie on top of him and kissing him.

Harry sighed happily to see Neville and Blaise getting at least a little action as they ground against each other.

"Are you through watching now?" Draco drawled.

Harry rolled his head back to grin crookedly as he met the amused eyes turned silver with lust. He held up the lube in triumph and watched as Draco's eyes widened. 

"We've got good friends," Harry said happily. "You want this?"

"I thought you wanted it," Draco said, amused with Harry changing his mind again.

"I'm happy here now," Harry said, feeling extremely relaxed. The urgency had left him as Draco relieved them of their clothing. He felt languid and warm, Draco's weight on top of him welcome and wonderful.

Then Draco ground his erection against Harry's and suddenly he was reminded of his body's need.

"Draco –" Harry was cut off from whatever he was about to say as Draco's lips crashed down on his. He felt Draco's tongue invading his mouth and sucked on it. He felt Draco shifting, but didn't register what it meant until he felt Draco's finger slip inside him. He tore his mouth away from the invading tongue.

"More, please, more, Draco," Harry moaned.

Draco had him quickly prepared and Harry's eyes rolled as Draco entered him, brushing across his prostate. Once fully sheathed, Draco leaned over and kissed Harry gently. "You all right?"

Harry rolled his head side to side, even as he locked his legs around Draco's waist so he couldn't go anywhere.

"Angel?" Draco asked, sounding a little concerned, if still breathless.

"Must be," Harry answered breathlessly, eyes finally focusing on Draco again. "Cuz I feel like I've died and gone to heaven."

Draco smirked at him. "You're pissed."

Harry nodded agreeably. "Happily pissed. Now do that again. I want to see the stars again."

Clearly having the right angle, Draco pulled back before thrusting forward, and both of them were completely lost as a keening cry escaped Harry's lips.

Lost in a haze of drunken pleasure in a world of their own, neither of them noticed or heard their friends. With all eyes on Harry and Draco, the couples didn't notice each other either, with the exception of Blaise and Neville.

Blaise ground his hips down as Neville shifted his own hips, generating an amazing friction. Blaise groaned, "Neville, you feel so good."

Neville moaned in answer, breath hitching as their eyes met for a few moments.

"I want you like that soon," Blaise said huskily, hips still grinding.

Neville's gaze flicked to the sight of Harry and Draco for a moment, before turning back to Blaise who was gazing at him with a shining intensity. "Will you make me see stars?" Neville asked.

Blaise gave him a slow grin. "Ohhh, yes," he said before bringing his lips to Neville's again. They broke the kiss quickly, eyes drawn irresistibly to the sight on the sofa across from them. Between watching Harry and Draco and the sensations they were generating between each other, they were soon groaning their release.

Blaise shifted his weight, but they continued to lie there watching. "Check out Pansy and Finnegan," he said quietly.

Pansy was straddling Seamus' lap, skirt hiked up just enough for her to obviously get what she wanted. Neville was thankful they couldn't see anything, not finding Pansy and Seamus nearly as hot as Harry and Draco. In fact, he turned away quickly, but not before noticing that even as they fucked each other, Pansy and Seamus' eyes were still watching Harry and Draco avidly.

Checking on Ron and Hermione, Neville realized it was almost a mirror scenario to Pansy and Seamus. "Ron and Hermione are . . . " Neville trailed off, unable to finish that sentence and turning his head to look at Blaise, wide-eyed and feeling slightly nauseous.

Blaise was smirking. "I'm sure it'll make Dustin feel better about things tomorrow."

Neville smiled suddenly. "True. They can't hold this over him at least," he said quietly.

They went back to watching the action between Harry and Draco, entranced by the chemistry and naturalness between the two.

Harry shook his head back and forth. "Draco, please," he cried. He couldn't take this anymore and needed to come. "Now," he begged.

One touch from Draco's hand to his erection and that's all it took for Harry to shoot pearly streams across his chest and abdomen as he shouted Draco's name, Draco following right behind him. They collapsed into a tangled, sweaty, sticky, boneless heap, attempting to catch their breath again.

"Draco, I love you," Harry murmured tiredly.

"Love you, too, Angel," Draco mumbled back sleepily.

"Was good," Harry murmured.

"Yes," Draco agreed. "But we're a mess now," he said distastefully.

"Wand?" Harry asked, cracking his eyes open and then blinking in amazement as Blaise passed Draco's wand to him.

"Wow," Harry breathed. "Service."

Draco, too, was blinking in amazement, but took his wand and cleaned them both up a little, the spells almost automatic for him.

"Sleep," Draco declared, shifting to lie comfortably with Harry spooned in front of him.

"Okay," Harry said agreeably, closing his eyes and snuggling deeper into Draco's embrace, asleep almost instantly. He never heard Draco's quiet thank you when Neville conjured a soft blanket and Blaise covered the two of them.


	38. Chapter 38

"Dustin, wake up!"

Harry blearily cracked his eyes open at the sound of the urgent voice. "Blaise, what the fuck do you want?" He felt like death warmed over and certainly didn't feel like facing Blaise's cheerfulness. Although, after attempting to focus, he realized Blaise was looking anxious, not cheerful.

"Your father wants you this morning," Blaise said, his voice as anxious as his expression.

"Fuck my father," Harry mumbled, snuggling up closer to Draco and trying to ignore the pounding in his head.

"Dustin!" Blaise said urgently. "He sent me an owl and I'm supposed to have your arse down to the Entrance Hall within the next thirty minutes. Draco, too," he added.

Harry cracked his eyes open again. "Why'd he owl you?”

"I don't know," Blaise said, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I swear, it's like he knew I was actually awake."

Harry could solve that part of the mystery. His father had the Marauder's Map and could've easily seen Blaise moving around. But now the question was why Blaise was awake in the first place. "Why are you up?"

"I had an alarm set," Blaise admitted. "Another reason for me not drinking last night. I felt kind of responsible for making sure everyone's okay this morning and gets back to their dorms."

Harry glanced at Neville, who was standing next to Blaise, smiling proudly at his boyfriend.

"Gods, Draco's right," Harry muttered. "You _would_ make a bloody decent Gryffindor."

Blaise and Neville were startled into laughter and Harry groaned, clutching at his head. They quieted down almost instantly, but Blaise still sounded amused when he spoke. "You have something against Gryffindors?"

"At the moment, yes," Harry said irritably. "Go 'way."

"Angel, shut up and lie still," came Draco's voice, husky with sleep but already sounding extremely irritated.

"They're bugging me," Harry whimpered. "It's not my fault."

"Who?" Draco asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Bloody Gryffindor wannabe," Harry retorted, waking up a little despite himself.

"What the fuck does Blaise want?" Draco snapped.

Harry mustered up enough energy to smirk at Blaise, who was looking like he wasn't sure if he should be amused or indignant that Draco had known, without even looking, who Harry was referring to. 

"Told you," Harry sneered, still unhappy with being woken up.

"You turn mean like Draco when you have a hangover," Blaise said, electing to pout.

"Then leave me alone," Harry retorted.

Blaise's expression turned anxious again. "I can't. Snape will have my hide if I don't get you two down to the Entrance Hall."

"What the fuck?" Draco asked, finally cracking his eyes open.

Blaise explained to Draco what he'd already told Harry. "I've now got about twenty minutes to get you two dressed and down to the Entrance Hall."

"Why?" Harry asked, back to the whinging again.

"I still don't know," Blaise said in exasperation.

"It sounds important, Dustin," Neville spoke up quietly. "It sounds like you're going somewhere."

Harry frowned and sat up finally, groaning as he did so. Neville handed him the note Severus had sent. Harry read it and paled even more than he already was. "Oh, fuck," he breathed.

"What?”

All three of them were looking at him worriedly. "Dumbledore is either a sick fucker or something's wrong," Harry said. He held his hand out and Neville pulled him up, pointing out a change of clothes. Harry began getting dressed, not caring about where he was.

There were plenty of other people in the room, but a quick glance showed that everyone besides the four of them was still passed out.

"Angel," Draco said, his tone demanding. "What the fuck is going on?"

Harry paused before pulling his clean shirt on, trying to figure out a way to answer Draco, on the off chance someone was awake and listening. "It just sounds like I have to go somewhere that I don't want to go." Harry met Draco's eyes. "I want you to come, even though technically you're not allowed. My father also seems to have said screw the protocol under the circumstances."

He handed the parchment to Draco. Hell, Draco was better at reading the coded messages anyway, being used to them after years of reading his own father's coded letters.

Draco read the message, and started getting dressed in fresh clothes. "I'm going with you," he said, his tone brooking no argument.

"Thank you," Harry said simply, pulling his robes on before sitting down to slip his boots back on. "I don't know if they'll let you in, but it sounds like Father says you can at least go with me."

"Where are you going?" Blaise asked, his eyes extremely wide.

Harry glanced up and realized that Blaise was beginning to look a little panicked, and Neville was looking between Blaise and Harry, slightly alarmed with Blaise's reaction.

"Blaise, it's not that," Harry said reassuringly, figuring out that Blaise thought he was off to another Death Eater meeting. Harry hadn't told Neville about that little part of his life yet. Neville had already had enough shocks to deal with.

Blaise looked slightly relieved and opened his mouth to speak, before glancing at the passed-out people around them and closing his mouth again.

"He doesn't know anything to be able to answer your questions anyway," Draco said harshly.

Blaise appeared suitably chastised, if still worried. Neville grabbed Blaise's hand, in reassurance for himself or Blaise, Harry wasn't sure. "Just take care of everyone here," Harry said. "We'll be back when we can."

Blaise recovered a little. "Going to hide out in your room today to sleep off the hangovers?" he asked. In other words, he was asking if this was what he was supposed to tell anyone who asked about them.

"Merlin, yes," Draco breathed, rubbing his forehead.

Unconsciously, Harry was mimicking Draco's action, his head still pounding unmercifully. "Let's go," he said quietly.

Stopping to freshen up quickly along the way, they made it down to the Entrance Hall as Severus was coming up from the dungeons. Severus handed them each a vial, which they accepted eagerly, pulling the stoppers and drinking the contents immediately. 

"Have a particularly good time?" Severus sneered, enjoying their obvious discomfort. Upon receiving only glares in answer, he chuckled lightly. "You should already be feeling some relief, and will likely feel halfway normal within thirty minutes."

"Although bloody tired still," Harry muttered grumpily.

"Perhaps," Severus said, eyeing him contemplatively.

Harry caught his gaze. "What’s wrong?" he asked, his tone serious.

"I believe that perhaps your influence might prove useful," Severus said.

"How?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Severus didn't respond, instead turning and leading them to Dumbledore's office. Harry understood why his father wasn't answering him yet, but it was making him more nervous the longer he had to wait for an explanation. It wasn't helping that Draco was grumbling about coming all the way downstairs simply to go back up half of them.

The hangover potion was helping Harry's headache, but it certainly hadn't gone away completely. At least his stomach wasn't roiling uncomfortably like it had been. He'd splashed some water on his face, but somehow it wasn't exactly making him feel that much more alert. He was tense and anxious about whatever the unknown current problem was.

He was desperately avoiding thinking about where they were going. Draco paused in his grumbling and squeezed Harry's hand in reassurance. Harry smiled at him wanly, appreciating that Draco was going with him, even though Draco wasn't exactly in any better mood than he was.

Severus said the password and led them up to Dumbledore's office, before turning to face them. "Lucius, as well as Draco, will be revealed to the Order," he said, by means of answering Harry's question finally.

"What's happened?" Harry asked, understanding the implications.

"It appears the Dark Lord informed Lucius this morning of a raid he will be leading this evening," Severus explained. "The Order must be informed to counterattack, and they must be informed that Lucius is for all intents and purposes on their side, so that they will not kill him," he said dryly.

"Lovely," Harry said sarcastically.

"Indeed," Severus agreed.

Harry glanced at Draco, who had gone an almost sickly pale. Harry suddenly wasn't sure who was going to be reassuring who, particularly since there wasn't really time for any reassurances, and neither was exactly in a reassuring mood. It was looking like it was going to be a very long day.

"Will you be all right?" Severus asked in concern.

Harry sighed heavily. "No. But, of course, I have no choice but to be all right, regardless. Why _there_ this time? Why not at Hogwarts?"

"This is not a routine meeting," Severus said gravely. "There will be much more activity with people coming and going. It's not appropriate for here."

Harry gave his father a sharp look. "Where is the raid?"

Severus hesitated for just a moment. "The raid is intended to attack the Weasley's home. You will not be a part of that," he commanded.

Harry's eyes closed tightly, his mind whirling with all this sudden information. "I can't be," he said slowly.

"No, not with either persona," Severus said tightly. "I'm glad you understand that. The Order will leap into action to protect the Weasleys and their home," he sneered. "You must make sure they accept Lucius, as well as Draco.”

"Great," Harry said sarcastically, his eyes snapping open again. "How come I get the hard job?"

Severus smirked at him as he reached for the Floo powder, the tension eased slightly. "I admit that I find your task to be the more difficult one as well."

"You damn well better succeed," Draco demanded, speaking up suddenly.

"Draco, you take that tone with me at the meeting and I'll damn well smack you over the head," Harry snapped, glaring at Draco. "Because that tone sure as hell isn't going to help me convince the Order to accept you."

Severus handed a small piece of parchment to Harry, before turning to the fireplace. "Best of luck to you, Son," he smirked, just before he disappeared through the Floo.

Harry was not in the mood for this, and neither was Draco. Draco was now glaring at Harry furiously. "What the fuck, Angel? Where do you get off talking to me that way?"

Harry pressed the heels of his hands to eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice tight, and not willing to try to say anything more.

"I gather my father's life is on the line if you don't convince these idiots," Draco said coldly.

"I bloody well know that," Harry snapped. "That's why I need you to keep your fucking mouth shut. Either that or just stay here if you're going to be this way."

"I'm not staying here!" Draco said angrily.

Harry thrust the bit of parchment into Draco's hands. "Read it, memorize it, then burn it," he ordered.

Draco took the parchment automatically.

"Now if you want to go, then get in the damn Floo and go," Harry snapped. "I need to go save your father from our own bloody side and don't have time to stand here and argue with you."

Harry was already striding to the fireplace and pinching some of the Floo powder.

"Angel," Draco said, seeming to suddenly realize that they were arguing over something they agreed on. Draco had a bad habit of arguing this way, and Harry was far from in the mood to deal with it this time. Harry knew Draco was upset with Harry's attitude more than anything, but Harry just couldn't seem to find it within himself to reassure Draco, trying to deal with too much himself. Harry was already tossing down the Floo powder and with a shout of his destination, he disappeared in the green flames.

Harry had a lot more grace stepping out of the fireplace than he used to, but he felt about the same. He was beginning to think he'd imagined drinking that potion, because he felt nauseous after traveling through the Floo. His head was pounding forcefully again, he was upset about fighting with Draco, he was worried about Lucius and the Weasleys, and the memories of suddenly being back at Grimmauld Place were threatening to overwhelm him.

And yet, he had a battle of sorts to fight with the Order. Lovely.

Harry took a deep breath and attempted to pull in his focus so he could get through this. He heard the flare of the fire and Draco stepping into the room. Almost immediately, Draco's arms were wrapped around him, holding him tight. "I'm sorry," Draco whispered in his ear.

Harry didn't say anything, his gaze focused on the two men walking into the room, who must have heard them come through the Floo. He was surprised to find no one in the kitchen, knowing that this was generally where the meetings were held.

"What's Malfoy doing here?" Moody growled.

Draco stepped to Harry's side, glaring hatefully at the man.

"Moody, for once, just back the fuck up on your paranoia," Harry snapped angrily. "I am not in the mood to deal with it today."

Moody looked taken aback for a moment, but recovered quickly, turning to glare at Severus. "Is this how you teach your son to respect others?"

Severus glared him down. "I suggest you stay away from my son today if you wish to retain any of your self-respect."

"I will not take orders from a young upstart like him," Moody growled.

"Then I sincerely hope that you enjoy being humiliated in front of the Order," Severus sneered maliciously. "He's warned you. It's your choice whether you heed his warning or not. Personally, I would quite enjoy seeing him lay you flat today."

Without missing a beat, Severus turned to Harry and Draco. "The meeting is about to start," he said evenly. "Moody will show you upstairs, Dustin. Because of the number of people, it is being held in the upstairs drawing room. Be quiet in the Entrance Hall," he warned. Harry barely refrained from rolling his eyes. Still no one had been able to remove that damnable portrait of Sirius' mum. 

"I will be along shortly," Severus said, the significance not lost on Harry as he cast a quick glance at Draco. Severus would likely be walking into the meeting with both Malfoys. 

Giving his father a quick nod, he strode confidently from the room, acting like he owned the place. Which, in truth, he did. It was beside the point that he hadn't stepped foot in the place since he'd inherited it.

Moody was glaring at him, but Harry ignored him as he made his way up the stairs. Stepping into the room, Harry was amazed. It looked like a large conference room, rather than a drawing room. In fact, it looked like the room at Hogwarts the Order met in except for the large tapestry on the far wall which, along with the portrait, no one had figured out how to remove.

Dumbledore saw him immediately and waved him over to several empty seats near him at the head of the table. The old wizard gave him a sympathetic glance as he sat down, but Harry was thankful when he didn't say anything. Instead, Dumbledore quickly called the meeting to order, everyone but Harry gazing at him expectantly.

Harry quickly gathered that he was the only one who had had any warning regarding what this meeting was about. He listened as Dumbledore explained that they had an emergency that needed to be dealt with, but they would first be bringing two important people into the Order. He warned them all to respect the newcomers. 

Harry snorted softly, thinking that little warning of Dumbledore's wasn't going to do a bit of good. Moody was already glaring suspiciously between Harry and Dumbledore, obviously remembering very well who Harry had arrived with. Harry glanced at Dumbledore with the strong suspicion of his own that, like Severus, Dumbledore was relying on Harry to convince the Order of Lucius' loyalties.

Seemingly on cue, Severus walked into the room with Lucius and Draco. Instantly the room was in an uproar, people shouting and several wands drawn. Severus, Lucius, and Draco stood glaring at the group.

"Good luck, Dustin," Dumbledore said quietly, so that Harry was the only one who heard him amongst all the yelling.

Harry gave him a wry look, his suspicions confirmed. "Thanks," he said sarcastically, but Dumbledore simply smiled kindly at him, essentially handing Harry the controls for this meeting.

Harry had to wonder if Dumbledore was happy to have someone shoulder a little of the responsibility. Maybe that was why Dumbledore hadn't been questioning Harry's decisions as much as Harry had originally thought he would. He didn't have time to dwell on it now, though, with the current standoff. 

"Enough!" Harry shouted forcefully as he stood. Everyone stopped shouting and turned to Harry. "Put your wands away," he ordered. "This is an Order meeting, not a battle."

Several people protested and Harry glared at them all icily. "Do I need to remind you all that you are adults capable of acting like civilized beings? I said put them away," he ordered.

"But Malfoy –" Molly started, before Harry cut her off.

"I know perfectly well who these people are, and you are absolutely in no danger," Harry said, his voice low and dangerous. "Put your wands away and you will get an explanation."

As most people put their wands away, either glaring at the Malfoys or staring incredulously at Harry, Moody spoke up. Not a big surprise to Harry. "I want an explanation now, boy," he growled.

"Then keep your mouth shut so you can hear it," Harry snapped angrily. "And you'd do best to remember my warning."

Moody was still glaring, but he remained silent this time, impatiently waiting. Harry glared at him a moment longer before turning to realize the other three had stepped up behind him. "Shall I?" Harry asked Lucius, raising a brow in question.

Lucius gave a curt nod, and Harry gestured for them to take their seats, figuring they might as well get comfortable, since this would likely take a while. Lucius and Draco took the seats closest to Dumbledore, with Harry and Severus to be buffers between them and the other members of the Order.

Harry remained standing, almost automatically moving to stand behind Draco, placing his hands on his shoulders. Harry took a deep breath, gazing around the table at all the wary, yet expectant, faces.

"As you all know very well, Lucius is a Death Eater," Harry began calmly. "What you have not known is that he has been spying on Voldemort and bringing information back to us."

"If he is spying on anyone, he is spying on us," Moody growled. With a flash, Harry's wand was out and a silencing charm was placed on him. 

"I warned you not to fucking mess with me today," Harry sneered at the now furious man. It was suddenly clear that Harry had bound the man to the chair as well, because he was struggling to move, but couldn't seem to get anywhere.

"Is that really necessary?" Remus asked quietly, a little wide-eyed at everything he was witnessing.

"Yes," came the sneering answer from two Snapes and two Malfoys. Remus' eyebrows rose in surprise, but he didn't comment any further. Questioning glances at Dumbledore brought no help to Moody, and no one else seemed to be willing to speak up for him.

"We have a lot to deal with today, and I do not have time to deal with paranoia," Harry said, his voice strong and determined. "I respect the fact that you all have concerns. I also recognize the legitimacy of those concerns. And if you give me a chance," he said, pointedly glaring at Moody. "I will address those concerns."

"We're listening," Tonks said quietly, smiling a little. Harry was certain she was one of the ones who found it amusing that Harry had so effectively shut Moody up.

Harry gave her a grateful nod before continuing. "As I was saying, Lucius is one of our spies. In fact, he brings back more information because he is in such a close position with Voldemort."

Harry didn't want to go into too much detail, considering that Lucius did have quite a history in regards to these people. He did explain Lucius and Draco's involvement in the first Death Eater meeting that he'd attended.

"Why didn't you inform us of this before?" McGonagall spoke up for once. Normally she had a tendency to sit back and observe more, Harry had noticed.

"To help protect Lucius' spy status as long as possible," Harry answered simply.

"Dustin, you need to inform them of the events of last week," Lucius stated.

Harry frowned. "How exactly does that help you?"

"It does not," Lucius drawled. "It does make it clear to the Order the lengths that you and Draco have gone to, though."

"Not another Death Eater meeting?" Molly snapped out angrily.

"Yes," Harry answered, sighing wearily, rubbing at his temple and trying to will the pounding headache away. He did not want to tell them about what had happened to him, but Lucius was right. It would certainly help convince the Order of Draco's loyalties.

"Explain," Molly demanded.

Harry sent a glare at Lucius just for general principles and received an amused smirk in return. Heaving another sigh first, Harry described the events of the last Death Eater meeting. Most of the Order was looking at Draco in varying degrees of astonishment or looking at Harry in concern by the time he had explained everything. It took him almost as long to reassure Molly that he was fine as it had to explain the meeting.

"Well, it appears that we can at least trust Draco, in light of how he helped to save that Muggle family," Remus said quietly.

Draco dropped his head, thunking it on the table and then groaning for having done that. Harry smirked, knowing what Draco's problem was and figuring it served him right if he made his own headache worse.

"What's wrong with Malfoy, er, Draco?" one of the twins asked curiously.

"Reputation issues," Harry said dryly. "Now you all know that he's not an evil bastard. He has an issue with being seen as one of the good guys so, by all means, please continue to recognize that he's still a bastard, simply not evil."

Draco lifted his head and glared at him. "You had to tell them that?" he hissed.

"Yes," Harry smirked. "Hate to inform you of this, but it's actually a good thing to be seen as one of the good guys in this group."

"Oh, fine," Draco huffed.

The twins were outright laughing, and several other people around the room were trying to hide their smiles.

Molly was not one of the ones who was amused. She appeared to be somewhat appeased with Harry and Draco now, at least, but she turned back to glaring at Lucius. Harry tensed again, realizing that they were getting back around to Lucius. He really needed them to get past their mistrust, because they had yet to get to the issue of how to go about protecting the Weasleys and their home.

"Lucius Malfoy, I already knew that you cared nothing for other people's children, but for you to not even care for your own child? It's deplorable," Molly yelled angrily.

Harry groaned. Lucius had barely relaxed as it was, and Harry, Draco and Severus had probably been the only ones to know that he'd been halfway relaxed. Now he very much looked like the cold, evil bastard that Harry had known from the past.

"I am quite capable of taking care of my son, I assure you," Lucius sneered.

Harry was thankful Lucius didn't take it any further than that, but Molly obviously wasn't about to let the matter drop. "You took your son to a Death Eater meeting," she said.

"No! I did," Harry snapped coldly, unknowingly sounding more dangerous than Lucius. But he wasn't about to let this argument go any further, because it would get them nowhere. "I took Draco along with me for backup, as I've already told you. We go to our fathers for guidance, not for them to dictate our lives."

"You are young boys," Molly snapped. "And obviously you need more than simply guidance."

"Dustin," Severus said his name sharply.

Harry snapped his head around to look at his father. Severus said nothing, but his gaze told Harry that he'd best calm down again immediately. Harry took a deep breath, rubbing at his temple again.

"We are not here to discuss parenting," Harry said evenly. "At this point in time, we simply need to recognize that Lucius is on our side when it comes to Voldemort."

"I will not trust that man!" Molly screeched. "He tried to kill my daughter!"

"I did not try to kill your daughter," Lucius snarled.

Harry listened as the two argued and flung insults at each other. Severus was getting involved, as well as Arthur. Harry couldn't believe he'd just got reprimanded for losing his temper, and now here Severus was snarling pointless insults. Most of the other Order members were looking extremely angry, but were so far managing to remain quiet, looking to either Harry or Dumbledore to stop things.

As he listened to the adults with growing frustration, Harry glanced to Dumbledore. The old man smiled at Harry knowingly. Harry could practically hear the old man's thoughts, telling Harry that now Harry understood how difficult his job was. If there wasn't an 'I told you so' in that old coot's head right now, Harry would be very surprised.

Glancing at Draco, he was surprised to see Draco smirking in amusement rather than being angry himself. Draco simply nodded his head towards the other end of the table. Looking over, Harry caught Fred and George's gaze. They were both grinning and seemed to be looking to Harry for an answer as to what should be done with these fighting adults.

Harry shook his head. And to think the adults probably wondered where the hell their children learned to argue so much. House rivalries and family rivalries just kept getting passed on from one generation to the next. Well, this was one generation that wasn't going to stand for it.

"Stop!" Harry shouted. He was grateful when they all shut up and looked at him.

Harry glared at Lucius. "Don't you think it would be more helpful if you just explained?"

"I do not need to explain my actions to anyone," Lucius said coldly.

"Lucius, you are human like the rest of us and it would be helpful if you acted like it," Harry snapped in frustration.

Lucius glared at him.

"How can you expect us to trust him, if even you do not seem to get along with the one you are trying to defend?" Remus asked.

"I get along with the bastard just fine," Harry snapped irritably.

Most of the room stared at him incredulously, as Severus and Draco snorted in amusement. Lucius was still glaring at him icily.

"I'm not so sure that you're convincing them that you get along," Draco drawled.

"Well, if he didn't have reputation issues like you do, then I wouldn't be having such a problem," Harry said. "For Merlin's sake, playing the 'evil bastard' role is all fine and wonderful when you're trying to convince Voldemort that you make a wonderful Death Eater. It doesn't work so well when you're trying to convince a room full of people on the other side that you're actually trying to help them."

"We don't have reputation issues," Draco retorted somewhat petulantly.

Harry snorted. "Oh, please. You both thrive on making people believe you're all evil."

"Dustin," Lucius snapped coldly, bringing Harry's attention around to him. "I think that's enough."

"What? Am I giving away the Malfoy family secret?" Harry sneered, not even remotely intimidated. "The secret kept well hidden is that you're not actually evil. Although you can still be right bastards when you want to be."

"Dustin," Draco hissed in warning.

Harry glanced at him askance, surprised that Draco had called him Dustin. Draco always avoided calling him by either Dustin or Harry.

"You should heed Draco's warning," Lucius said.

Harry threw his hands up in frustration. "What? Are you going to cast _Crucio_ on me because I've dared to declare to this whole group of people that you're not actually evil?"

"You do not understand the history between the Malfoys and the Weasleys," Lucius said coldly.

Harry placed his hands on the table and leaned over. "You're right," he said, his voice just as cold and dangerous. "I don't understand. Unfortunately for you, I don't give a fuck about some old feud. There are traditions to keep and traditions to throw out when they become useless. There's also a time and a place for them, and an old feud does not belong here."

"I do not take kindly to the insinuations and accusations," Lucius snarled.

"Neither do I," Harry snapped angrily. "From either side," he said pointedly. "The Weasleys would likely back off if they knew you hadn't actually tried to get their daughter killed. You were being a bastard trying to fuck with them by giving that diary to Ginny, but even you didn't know what all would come from that."

"He didn't know?" Molly asked in disbelief.

Lucius sneered at her. "No, I did not know. It was not intended to be an attack on the school or any of the students."

"Oh," Molly said, trying to take that in.

"So eloquent," Lucius drawled, sneering at Molly.

"For Merlin's sake, Lucius, just back off! It wouldn't kill you to apologize, but if you must keep your damn family rivalries, then fine. Just keep them out of the Order. We're here for a reason!" He suddenly paused and blinked. Harry slowly smirked at Lucius. "You are, aren't you?"

Lucius glared at Harry, but Harry's smirk widened. "You're a good man, Lucius Malfoy, no matter what anyone tries to say about you." Lucius would likely never actually apologize. But just by being here and warning them, he was doing something to make up for those events from Harry's second year.

"How can you say that?" Molly asked, sounding far more confused than angry, not at all understanding whatever it was that Harry had just figured out.

"I obviously do not agree with everyone on certain issues, but despite the mutual dislike between some people here, Lucius did not come here to trade insults with all of you. He also didn't come here to spy on you," Harry said, with a pointed glance at Moody, who was still seething silently.

"Can he be trusted?" Remus asked quietly, not angrily, seeming to want Harry's honest opinion.

"Yes," Harry answered simply. "While we've been arguing about parenting skills and family feuds, it actually has no bearing whatsoever here. He's here because he's a spy for the Light."

"But how do we know? How can we just accept your word?" Tonks asked plaintively.

Harry rolled his eyes. "It's not just my word," he said, pointedly glancing at Dumbledore. "The old man tends to drive me mental at times, but he's not stupid. And if you would all take just two seconds to think, you'd know that," he retorted. "You are completely mental if you think Albus would let Lucius in here without determining which bloody side of the war he was really on first."

All of them were now blinking owlishly, their gazes shifting between Harry, Dumbledore and Lucius.

"Why didn't you just tell them that in the first place?" Draco drawled in amusement.

Harry shrugged. "Because they weren't ready to hear it earlier."

Remus gave Harry a compassionate and understanding smile. "I would imagine that we adults are a little more stuck in our beliefs than the students you have been working so hard to reach this year."

"Definitely," Harry said, that one word expressing a lot of feeling.


	39. Chapter 39

Harry gazed at Lucius, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who knows?" he asked Lucius abruptly.

Most of the room was loud chaos as everyone talked over and around each other. They'd finally managed to get past the fact that Lucius was there, Moody had been released from the binds Harry had put on him, and now everyone was trying to sort out what they should do.

Lucius simply gazed back at him for a few moments, before he nodded in acknowledgment that Harry had figured things out. Harry closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He knew there had to be a reason why Dumbledore was bringing Lucius out now. And it wasn't simply because the Order needed to know that Lucius was on their side and not to attack him directly. That was part of it, thankfully, but he had been pretty sure that it wasn't Dumbledore's main priority.

Harry opened his eyes and turned his head to gaze at Dumbledore. Several people noticed and watched, quiet and confused, as Harry and Dumbledore seemed to hold a silent conversation. Dumbledore nodded to Harry after a minute. Harry dropped his head and began to pace, already trying to sort through plans in his mind.

"There's nothing you can do, Dustin," Severus said harshly.

Harry heard the 'you can't save everyone' that Severus wanted to add. "Like hell I can't," Harry sneered.

"The Order is already working on plans to protect the Weasleys and their home," Severus sneered, with a sweeping gesture to indicate everyone else in the room, more of whom were starting to listen in on their argument. "To protect them, the sacrifice has to be made."

"No, it doesn't," Harry retorted. "We need him and you know it."

"You know the situation and the consequences," Severus snapped.

"You're saying my father is out?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Severus stated emphatically.

"Good," Draco said, satisfied with that answer.

"Not good," Harry snapped. "We need him where he is."

"But he wouldn't be at such risk anymore," Draco snapped back.

"Lucius?" Harry asked. Technically, it was his decision.

"Do you think there is a way?" Lucius asked, eyeing Harry contemplatively.

Harry glanced at Dumbledore before facing Lucius again. "Yes," he said with conviction.

Lucius nodded in acceptance. "Then make it possible."

"It is not possible to do both," Severus said harshly, glaring at Harry.

Lucius chuckled, startling a lot of people. "If it was not possible before, then it is now," Lucius drawled. Severus turned his glare on Lucius, which simply seemed to amuse the man even more. "You have just issued your son a challenge. You should know by now that he does not face a challenge lightly."

Harry smirked in smug satisfaction as Severus' eyes widened in realization. "By all means," Severus sneered at him. "Continue."

"Dustin," Dumbledore interjected. "Did you have an enjoyable time last evening?" he asked pleasantly.

Harry looked at him blankly for a moment, just like everyone else in the room. Then he slowly grinned. "I had a wonderful time, thank you."

"What the bloody hell does last night have to do with anything?" Draco hissed.

Harry just waved him off and started pacing again, knowing that Dumbledore had set him on this track and he had his approval. As his mind whirled around all the information and possible plans, he vaguely registered that most of the room had quieted down to hear the argument between Harry, Severus, Draco and Lucius. Now they were watching Harry curiously after his odd pleasantries with Dumbledore.

"What is he doing?" Remus asked.

"Planning," Severus said dryly.

"Planning what, exactly?" Remus asked curiously.

"In order to protect the Weasleys, Lucius will lose his spy status with the Dark Lord," Severus explained. "Lucius was the only one provided with this information, so when the raid fails, the Dark Lord will know that Lucius betrayed him. Unintentionally, I just issued the challenge to my son that we can somehow protect both the Weasleys and Lucius' spy status," he said wryly.

"And Albus?" Remus questioned.

"Albus," Severus said with a look of irritation towards the man in question. "Somehow seems to be encouraging my son with some idea that only makes sense to the two of them."

"Why are we waiting for a child?" Molly asked, sounding distressed.

"Because that _child_ is trying to protect _all_ of us," one of the twins answered.

"Not just our family," the other twin responded.

"No one said that you had to wait," Severus sneered. "Perhaps you could continue your discussion?" he suggested.

"There doesn't seem much point," Tonks said with a shrug. "Albus obviously approves."

"Are we honestly waiting for a child to make plans?" Arthur asked quietly.

"I am willingly placing my life in that _child's_ hands," Lucius sneered. "You and your home will be protected by the Order regardless. I shall wait to see what his plans are."

Harry halted and looked at Lucius in surprise. "Lucius?" he asked softly.

Lucius simply nodded once. 

Harry blinked. "Wow. So, no pressure then?" he asked sarcastically.

Lucius smirked at him in amusement. "Your plan, Dustin?"

Harry shook his head as if to clear it and get back on track. He turned to Dumbledore. "Costume party?" Harry heard Draco groan, but ignored him.

Dumbledore nodded, smiling at Harry. "Fourteen, I do believe?"

Harry started to nod, but then he turned around, searching for Fred and George. "Fred, George, would you like to be invited to the costume party it seems I'll be hosting at your house tonight?"

They didn't seem fazed by the question at all. "We'd be delighted," they answered after an exchanged glance, grinning at Harry.

"Good," Harry said.

"There will be no party at my house tonight!" Molly screeched.

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, there will be," he said, in no mood to put up with her screeching. He held up a hand to stop her tirade before it got started. "Hear me out."

She narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath, but Harry spoke up again first. "No," he said commandingly. "Speak up right now and I will silence you like I did Moody." He knew he was far from being diplomatic like he normally tried to be, but he had far too little time, too much to do, not nearly enough sleep, and was sorely short on patience. Molly looked livid and her gaze shot to Dumbledore.

"Albus?" Arthur asked Dumbledore questioningly, absolutely amazed that the old man was allowing this. 

"I think we need to hear Dustin out," Dumbledore said calmly.

Harry was already gazing at Lucius again. "You accept?"

"It will be a change to be punished by the Dark Lord rather than captured by a group of teenagers this time," Lucius drawled sardonically.

"Dustin," Severus said his name, getting his attention. "From the beginning," he said pointedly.

Harry took a deep breath, glancing around once at all the confused faces, and nodded. "Lucius is the only one that Voldemort has told about the plan to attack the Weasley's house. Voldemort's intention is to capture or kill anyone who happens to be there, and then likely burn the place down," Harry said, starting from the beginning even though everyone knew at least part of all this.

"The wards," Arthur said weakly.

"Need to be reinforced," Harry answered, nodding in agreement. "There's a reason you've been staying here much of the time. Voldemort's power has been slowly increasing. He could dismantle the wards as they are right now, and I suspect that he's informed Lucius how to do so," he said with a questioning glance towards Lucius, who nodded once.

Arthur closed his eyes, but nodded his understanding.

"Voldemort's doing this, hoping to flush Harry Potter out of hiding. It's not going to work because we're going to protect Potter, the Weasleys, their home, and catch us some Death Eaters while we're doing it.”

He glared around at the group. "There's also someone else we're going to be protecting, and that's Lucius. I really don't give a fuck if you like him or not, and to be honest, I really don't give a damn if you trust him. But if nothing else, you should be caring that if you're all there to attack the Death Eaters tonight, you guarantee that Voldemort will know he's a spy. It not only puts his life at a much greater risk, but it also loses us the most valuable spy we've got."

Harry was the young man dealing with war and long gone was the sixteen-year-old teenage boy. "My father is valuable as well, but keep in mind that it's Voldemort's trust in Lucius that's enabled us to receive warning of this. I understand the fact that you are focused on the Weasleys and protecting them. But I'm not about to let you do it at Lucius' expense. We're going to do this so that everyone's protected."

"How do we do that, Dustin?" Remus asked quietly, respectfully.

Harry nodded at Remus gratefully. "All of you will be on standby. You won't be there. I'll arrange for . . . " he trailed off, looking at Draco questioningly.

"Blaise would be a good choice," Draco answered, following Harry's thought process.

Harry nodded in acceptance. "Blaise will be the one to Apparate out and bring back members of the Order. Actually, I think he should only come back with Dumbledore, McGonagall, Lupin and my father. It'd make sense for a student to go back to the school for help, and some time has to pass before that help arrives, because supposedly we've had no warning."

"You are planning to fight the Death Eaters with simply your group?" Remus asked. The man was frowning, but it was more thoughtful than disapproving.

"Yes," Harry answered simply. He turned to Lucius. "Minors?"

"With the exception of myself, yes," he answered.

"Lucky you," Harry smirked.

Lucius chuckled, once again startling most of the people in the room. "He feels someone must lead the ruffians and, as you have said, I am the lucky one who was chosen." He then sobered. "He does not feel that this will be a difficult job. I am mainly there to dismantle the wards for them to get in. He is expecting to simply find Mr. & Mrs. Weasley. Your response for students being out of school unexpectedly?" he questioned.

Harry frowned, glancing at his friends to see if they had any inspiration. Fred, or George, was the one to speak up. "We're hosting a costume party for our friends –"

"Siblings –"

"And their friends –"

"In celebration of our shop being so successful."

Harry was nodding, but the twins continued. "You need us to be your fall guys to protect the Slytherins in costume, don't you?"

"Yes, the other Slytherins can't afford to be found out by their families. Draco and I are obviously in the clear with our fathers, but we're also Voldemort's latest protégés," Harry said sarcastically.

Draco snorted. "I'm not. You're his latest pet."

Harry grimaced and shuddered. "Unfortunately. Anyway, the point is, it's extremely dangerous for any of us Slytherins to be found out, hence the costumes. All we have to do is take them down quickly, then let Fred and George deal with the aftermath. Under the circumstances, I can't help there, in case it gets out in the Ministry and back to Voldemort."

"And you can 'take them down quickly'?" Tonks asked, her tone more curious than anything else.

"Yes," Harry said easily. "My group is well trained, and Lucius said these are all minor players aside from himself."

Lucius snorted in amusement, bringing everyone's attention to him. "I assume you will be the one taking me on to keep up the pretence?"

Harry smirked at him. "Yes, but don't worry. I'll simply have to let you win and get away this time."

"You can defeat Malfoy?" Tonks burst out in astonishment.

Harry shrugged. "A lot of times, but definitely not always. There's only a couple of Death Eaters I would be concerned about fighting in battle, and I thankfully don't have to fight them. And even against them I could hold my own."

He glanced around the group contemplatively. "I could pitch anyone in my group against any of you, besides Albus, and they would either win hands down or be able to hold their own."

"You're joking," Tonks exclaimed.

"He's not," Remus said quietly. "Attempting to teach anything new to the sixth year Gryffindor/Slytherin class has become quite a challenge."

"Severus," Arthur spoke up, with a nervous glance at his still silent wife. "I feel obligated to ask. Do you feel it is safe to allow your son to place himself, along with the other students, in this situation?"

Severus snorted. "I find it far less dangerous to send him and his well-trained friends to deal with a few minions, than sending him to face the Dark Lord."

Arthur, nor Molly, didn't actually look very reassured by Severus' words. Harry tried bringing his diplomacy back to the forefront. "Mr. Weasley, Ron and Ginny have been training with me for the last four months. We've trained hard and I firmly believe they can hold their own." He chose his next words carefully. "I understand they both fought against the Death Eaters last spring."

He grinned suddenly as he glanced at Lucius. "Actually, they fought against Lucius. If they can handle that, then they can more than handle this. We've trained and prepared," he paused for just a moment, "and we'll know what we're walking into tonight, which they didn't last spring."

His next words were very sober. "I'll tell you this. If I honestly did not believe that we would succeed, I would not even be suggesting this."

He wasn't sure which words he'd spoken had got through to which people, but the doubts seemed to lift. Plans were made and finalized and arrangements were made for Harry's offense group to be brought from the school to the Weasley's home and briefed about what they would be doing.

~*~*~*~

"Dustin? They said you would explain," Hermione said, glancing around at the Order members a little warily. The students clearly understood that something serious was happening for them to be called there.

Remus and McGonagall had gone back to Hogwarts and returned with the members of Harry's DA group. Lucius and a few others had remained at Grimmauld Place, it being deemed dangerous for the entire group to know about certain Order members. Severus had also stayed, considering that several in Harry's group did not know that he was a spy. Otherwise, most had gone to the Weasley's home and were now sitting around, watching the new arrivals.

Harry and Draco were standing, facing their group. "I need your help to protect a family and their home tonight," Harry said, not explaining yet whose home it was, although it looked like several of them suspected the truth with the way Molly was looking at them anxiously. "There will be a group of low rank Death Eaters and we can easily ward off the attack."

All of them were nodding their agreement. "Of course we'll help," Blaise answered.

"But why us?" Hermione asked, pointedly looking around at the Order members.

"Because we don't want Voldemort to know that we've been tipped off to this raid," Harry explained. "If there are Aurors or unexplained adults around, Voldemort will know that he has information being leaked. It won't likely be questioned if the Death Eaters are ambushed by a bunch of teenagers simply having a party."

Every member in Harry's group groaned at that information, and Harry and Draco smirked at them. 

"Not a party," Ron muttered.

"No, we won't be having a real party," Harry said, still smirking in amusement. He was no more prepared than they were to have another party. He'd had the advantage of a hangover potion, but _still_ had a raging headache.

"Do I understand your reactions right?" Tonks asked in amazement. "You are upset at the idea of a party, but are perfectly fine with the idea of fighting against some Death Eaters?"

"Um, yeah," Ron answered sheepishly.

Harry cut in before Ron or anyone else could say anything more. "We had a bit of a celebration party last night. Many of us were celebrating the fact that we did not have to receive the Dark Mark over the holidays."

"But why does everyone seem upset about another one?" Molly asked suspiciously, glaring at Ron and Ginny, who were both squirming.

"That would be because Dustin and I were a little enthusiastic with our attentions towards each other, and no one wants to see a repeat of our slightly exhibitionist actions again," Draco lied smoothly, with a wicked smirk gracing his features. 

It effectively sidetracked Molly and most of the Order, all of them staring at Draco and Dustin with their matching smirks. Harry heard a few coughs from their friends, knowing they were trying to cover up their laughter. Molly was spluttering, seeming at a loss for words.

Remus remained impassive. Harry and Severus had taken Remus aside earlier, and Harry knew Remus had passed out hangover potions to everyone who needed one before they got here. They didn't need to be getting into an argument with the adults over the alcohol they'd all drank.

"So, what do we need to do?" Hermione asked briskly, ready to get down to business and doing her own part to move things along.

~*~*~*~

"Mmmm," Harry moaned. Draco had him pressed up against the outside wall of the Burrow and was currently suckling at Harry's neck. Harry twined his arms around Draco's neck, wanting to twist his fingers through Draco's hair, but it wasn't possible at the moment because of the hood on Draco's cloak.

They had all foregone actual costumes in favour of colourful robes and matching masks that Dumbledore had procured for them. No one was wearing black or green. No black so they wouldn't get confused with the Death Eaters, and no green to avoid any hints of Slytherins. 

Harry was wearing ice blue robes with a mask of the same colour that hid most of his features. The cloak he was wearing was one that Draco had given him for Christmas with a smirking comment about being angel-worthy. It was a rich, white velvet, with fur trim. Harry had griped about wearing white when he first received it, but it was suiting his purposes now. It would help him blend in with the snowy background.

Draco was wearing shimmery silver robes with the silver mask to match. His cloak was beautiful dove grey velvet, darker than Harry's white, but still suitable to blend into the surroundings. They both had the hoods up on their cloaks, but Draco especially needed to hide his very distinctive platinum blond hair.

"These cloaks are in the way," Draco murmured irritably, even as he ghosted kisses across Harry's jaw.

Harry chuckled lightly. "We're not actually supposed to be snogging out here. Only pretending to."

"We've got nothing better to do while we wait," Draco drawled, before pressing his lips to Harry's.

Despite Draco's words, they kept their kisses light, knowing that at any minute they were supposed to be getting into a minor battle with a bunch of Death Eaters. Harry and Draco were stationed outside on one side of the front porch, and Blaise and Neville were stationed off to the other side. To the incoming Death Eaters, they would simply appear as couples sneaking away for a quick snog.

Everyone else was waiting inside, with music blaring, supposedly in the middle of a boisterous party. Aside from Harry and Draco, the entire group was a bit on edge, although ready and determined. Harry and Draco were simply enjoying a little stress relief while they waited.

Several minutes later, they finally heard the cracking sound of Apparition that they'd been waiting for. Wands immediately in hand, Draco whirled away from Harry to face the newcomers.

Neville's mask had been carelessly tossed aside and anyone could see that he was simply a student. He was also the voice for them and immediately shouted out as the Death Eaters Apparated into the yard.

"Help! Death Eaters!" Neville yelled, giving the warning to the others waiting inside.

Harry quickly spotted Lucius, and it might have shocked the others a little if they'd seen, but _somehow_ Harry was that touch faster than Lucius and was able to stun him before he could get caught up in a duel with the man. Harry was still surprised that Lucius had willingly allowed that. They'd arranged exactly where Lucius would appear and Harry was positioned so he simply had to raise his wand and fire the stunner. 

Severus was there somewhere under the invisibility cloak and would be the one to surreptitiously revive Lucius so he could Apparate away when the minor battle was winding down. Lucius would be punished by Voldemort for the mission failing, but there wouldn't be any suspicion of his loyalty.

"Go get help," Neville shouted at Blaise, who quickly disappeared. Once again, it was simply staged for the Death Eaters. Blaise was, in theory, Apparating to Hogwarts and would return with Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and Lupin after an appropriate time interval. The other Order members shortly after that.

" _Stupefy_!"

" _Stupefy_!"

" _Stupefy_!"

Harry, Draco and Neville almost immediately had three more of the figuratively stunned Death Eaters literally stunned. The Death Eaters had expected a surprise attack on a couple of Weasleys, likely asleep at this late hour. They hadn't expected to be ambushed themselves by a bunch of very awake teenagers having a party.

" _Protego_!" Harry shouted, erecting the shield spell as a couple of spells from the remaining Death Eaters were shot his way. Defend until they had more offense. He could hear Draco and Neville doing the same.

The other 'party guests' came pouring out of the house, all of the Weasleys—Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny—along with Hermione, Dean, Seamus and Luna were without masks. Only Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle and Nott were still wearing masks, along with Harry and Draco. It gave a nice balance and protected the Slytherins.

Everyone had been instructed not to use major spells unless absolutely necessary. They didn't want anyone getting suspicious of this group of teenagers who were simply having a party. With all of the teenagers there, the Death Eaters were quickly outnumbered and the surprise attack had turned on them. 

Harry slunk to the side, shouting out more stunning spells and nimbly avoiding the curses cast in his direction, which were few. The party goers outnumbered the remaining Death Eaters two to one at this point, so they were quickly and easily taken down.

In all the shouting, Harry wasn't even sure if his friends noticed that one of the Death Eaters suddenly apparated away. Lucius' Apparition point had been deliberately set outside their lookout points from those inside the house, and those positioned outside had all known what was to happen. Besides that, Harry and Draco had managed to place themselves between Lucius and everyone else, both as a bit of protection and insurance.

All in all, it was quick, painless, and easy. By the time the Order members arrived with Blaise, there were ten stunned and bound Death Eaters and a bunch of teenagers milling around the front porch simply waiting for them.

Once the Order did arrive, they were all sent back inside, with the exception of Fred and George. They weren't allowed to go back to Hogwarts yet, the adults wanting them away from the attack scene and all the officials, but wanting to make sure that all of them were all right and available to answer any questions.

They were now settled around a comfortable sitting room, waiting for the adults.

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed. "I can't believe we just fought a bunch of Death Eaters in front of my house!"

"It's not like it was difficult," Draco drawled.

"Well, no," Ron admitted. "But still, we did it."

"I think we should be proud of what we accomplished," Ginny said quietly.

"I think it was bloody brilliant!" Dean declared.

Hermione frowned at him. "I wouldn't say it was brilliant, but we have trained for this."

"Angel?" Draco said softly, tuning out the others. "You all right?"

Harry was lying with his head in Draco's lap, eyes closed, but he wasn't asleep. "'M fine," he mumbled.

"I think you need to talk to Blaise," Draco whispered. "Pansy, too."

Harry opened his eyes and looked around until he spotted the two. Neville and Seamus appeared to be trying to reassure Blaise and Pansy, but didn't seem to be helping much. Harry sighed, slowly sitting up.

Hermione was between Ron and Ginny, providing support. They'd also had most of their family around them all day. They were handling the situation pretty well, under the circumstances. Everyone else, including Crabbe, Goyle and Nott, seemed to be doing fine. Blaise and Pansy, on the other hand, seemed to be struggling now.

Draco gave Harry a quick kiss before sending him off. Harry took Pansy's hand, pulling her up, and then grabbed Blaise's hand, pulling him up as well before leading them out of the room. Neville and Seamus had simply given him grateful looks, hoping that Harry could help where they couldn't.

"Where are they going?" Ron asked.

"To talk," Draco drawled.

"About what?" Ron asked, frowning at Draco.

"It could have been their fathers out there tonight," Neville said quietly.

Ron's frown deepened as he glanced at the other three Slytherin boys. "It could have been your fathers, too, couldn't it?"

They shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't really care," Nott sneered in contempt. Crabbe and Goyle nodded in agreement.

Hermione looked at the empty doorway sadly. "But Blaise and Pansy care," she said softly. "They don't want to fight their families."

"I can't imagine it," Ginny said, shaking her head.

"Malfoy, how come you didn't go with them?" Ron asked.

"He does better at the whole reassurance thing than I do," Draco said with a rueful half smile.

"Your job is to take care of Dustin," Neville said quietly, giving Draco a slight smile.

"While Dustin seems to take care of everyone else," Ginny agreed softly.

~*~*~*~

"Come on, Longbottom," Draco said with a heavy sigh. "Let's go find them."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You, too, Finnegan."

They'd been informed that they would all be staying there for the rest of the night. It was extremely late and Molly especially wanted them to stay there to make sure that everyone was truly all right before they went back to Hogwarts. Molly was bustling around making sure that everyone had a place to sleep, and house elves had been ordered to bring clothing and things from Hogwarts for them.

Most of the other adults were still dealing with the aftermath of the events. Tonks and Kingsley were working to keep things as quiet as they could. Fred and George were helping to keep the focus on them and off the rest of the group.

Draco, Neville and Seamus were walking up the stairs when they spotted Ron coming back down, a peculiar expression on his face.

"Um, Malfoy?"

"What is it, Weasley?" Draco snapped impatiently. He wanted to find Harry and was far too tired to want to deal with Ron.

"Er, I found Dustin and the other two," Ron said, a little nervously.

Draco's eyes narrowed. "What's the problem?"

Ron swallowed audibly but, instead of answering, he turned and led the way back up the stairs. At the top of all the stairs, Ron opened the door and they stepped into the room.

They all paused, staring at the sight that greeted them. Harry was sitting propped up against the headboard on the far bed, with Pansy curled up next to him on one side and Blaise curled up next to him on the other. They all appeared to be sound asleep. But it was also obvious that Pansy and Blaise had both been crying not that long before with the dried tear tracks down their cheeks.

Draco snorted softly, shaking his head in wry amusement. Ron looked relieved that Draco wasn't going to explode at the sight of Dustin sleeping with two of their friends.

Draco walked over to the side of the bed. "Angel, are they feeling better now?" he asked softly.

Harry half opened his eyes and gave Draco a wan smile. "Yeah, I think so," he answered quietly. "When they finally relaxed, they both fell asleep."

"How'd Malfoy know he was awake?" Ron asked Neville and Seamus curiously.

Neville shrugged. "He just seems to know Dustin," he answered, having no other answer to give.

Harry had turned his head at the sound of the voices. "Neville, you want to come get Blaise, please?"

Draco and Neville woke Blaise up enough for Neville to lead him to the twins' old room where most of the boys were supposed to sleep. Then Draco helped Seamus detach Pansy so Seamus could carry her down to Ginny's room where the girls were all sleeping.

"I guess this means you two are sleeping together in my room," Ron grimaced.

Draco didn't exactly look any more pleased about the situation than Ron, but he was pulling Harry's shoes off and handing him some pyjamas to change into regardless.

"I'm not happy about it either," Draco said with his own grimace.

Harry said nothing, too physically tired, too emotionally exhausted, to even think much anymore if he didn't have to. He simply stripped down and pulled on the pyjama bottoms Draco handed him before sliding under the blankets.

"What's Harry going to say when he finds out Malfoy slept in his bed?" Ron muttered to himself, climbing into his own bed.

"This is Potter's bed?" Draco asked, glancing sharply at Ron.

"Yeah. Wish he was here," Ron mumbled tiredly, already half asleep now that he was in bed.

Draco slid into the bed and pulled Harry close, not surprised when Harry clung to him. Draco simply held him tightly as Harry cried himself to sleep.


	40. Chapter 40

Harry pushed the food around his plate, not feeling particularly hungry. Now that the crisis was over, he had too much time to think about other things and he didn't like it. 

They were all piled into the Weasley's kitchen eating a very late breakfast and it just felt wrong to be here. He hadn't felt like such a horrible imposter since before Draco had found out his real identity. Draco, Blaise and Neville were doing their best to keep the attention off of him. Harry recognized what they were doing and appreciated it, but still couldn't seem to bring himself to just relax and go with things.

"Dustin," Molly admonished. "Why aren't you eating?"

Harry glanced up at her. "Just tired still, I guess," he said quietly. He pushed away from the table and stood up. "Excuse me."

So much for not bringing attention to himself, he thought miserably as he ignored all the protests and slipped upstairs again. Lying on his bed in Ron's room, he heard Draco come in a few minutes later and cast a silencing spell on the room.

"You're going to make everyone suspicious if you keep acting this way," Draco drawled as he sat down on the bed beside Harry.

"What'd you tell them?" Harry asked, rolling onto his back to look up at Draco.

Draco snorted. "I didn't tell them anything. Granger lit into everyone, going off about you having a right to be tired and stressed out after everything you did yesterday."

"You don't think she suspects anything, do you?" Harry asked worriedly.

Draco shook his head. "I don't think so. When I left she was muttering about boys being insensitive jerks," he said wryly. Then he glared at Harry. "But if you don't snap out of this, then she will start suspecting something."

Harry rolled to his side again, facing away from Draco. "I want to go back to Hogwarts," he said softly. "I don't want to be here. I hate it here."

Draco sighed. "No, you don't. I'm the one who hates being here."

"Of course you hate being here at the Weasleys," Harry muttered. "You've always hated them."

"I've been keeping myself in check," Draco retorted.

"I know you have," Harry sighed. 

Draco sat back against the headboard and tugged at Harry's shoulder until Harry rested his head in his lap. Draco ran his fingers through Harry's hair, both of them remaining quiet for several minutes. "You know, I do find it quite interesting to have slept in _your_ bed last night," Draco drawled.

Harry was startled into light laughter and turned his head to look up at Draco. "At least you found something good about being here."

"Is this really your bed?" Draco asked softly.

Harry sighed, turning away again. "One of them, I suppose. It's funny because I have a bed here, at Grimmauld Place, at the Dursley's, at Hogwarts, and now at my father's. I heard someone say they've still left my bed up in the Gryffindor dorm, too. Six beds. You tell me where I really belong, because I'm not sure anymore," he said bitterly.

"With the exception of the Dursley's, you belong at all those places," Draco said.

Harry sighed again. "I miss Sirius," he said softly. "I hated being back at Grimmauld Place yesterday. I hate being here, because I hate that I'm lying to all of them."

They remained there talking for another hour until Harry pulled himself together, eventually making their way back to Hogwarts.

~*~*~*~

Harry and Draco walked into the Great Hall late, causing a stir with their entrance.

Harry snorted softly in amusement. "You thrive on being fashionably late, don't you?" he asked, gazing around at the room.

The Great Hall was decorated primarily in ice blue and silver. Harry gave a light chuckle when he realized those were the colours Dumbledore had made his and Draco's robes the night before. The colours fit well with the overall winter theme. Glancing at Draco, wearing midnight blue robes with silver trim, matching what Harry himself was wearing, Harry had to wonder if Draco had chosen their robes to coordinate so well with the décor. Knowing Draco, he decided Draco probably had.

Snow that wouldn't melt was drifted around the edges of the room. Ice sculptures were turning slowly round and round in a silent dance. Small tables were situated around the outskirts of the room, surrounding the middle of the room cleared for dancing. Long buffet tables were at the front of the room. The buffet style meal leant to the supposedly casual atmosphere of this ball.

Looking around, Harry noticed a wide variety in the style of dress, ranging from formal robes to almost casual Muggle clothing. What he found so amusing, though, was all the stares directed at him and Draco.

"We are the most popular students in the school," Draco declared haughtily. "And certainly the most fashionably dressed."

Harry shook his head. "At least some things never change," he muttered quietly.

Draco smirked at him. "Come on, Angel. Let's dance."

Harry nodded his head in agreement, following Draco out to the middle of the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around Draco's waist and rested his head on Draco's shoulder, eyes closing as he simply enjoyed being close to him. Draco's hands ran soothingly up and down his back, helping Harry to relax.

Oblivious to when the music changed to a fast beat, they continued to rock together slowly. Gradually, Harry allowed the tension from the last two days to drain away, leaving him happy and content.

When Draco tugged lightly on his hair, Harry tipped his head back, parting his lips as Draco kissed him languidly. Harry moaned lightly, caught up in the taste and feel of Draco. 

Draco pulled back slightly, smiling at Harry. "Not here, Angel."

Harry sighed softly, knowing what Draco said was true, but not really minding that they couldn't take things any further. Draco took his hand and led him off the dance floor.

"What's with Dustin?" Blaise asked, studying Harry's slightly dreamy state. "You slip him a potion or something?"

Harry shot Blaise a wry look as Draco snickered. "No, he didn't slip me a potion," Harry retorted. He waited for Draco to get settled, then sat sideways, leaning back against Draco comfortably.

"Well, then what's with this . . . I don't know. You just look a whole lot more peaceful now," Blaise said. 

Neville was nodding in agreement. "He's right. You do look a lot calmer than you did earlier."

"Ha, I just know how to handle him," Draco declared haughtily.

Harry shook his head at Draco's attitude, smiling indulgently. Draco's attitude may have been making light of things, but the reality was that Draco did know how to handle him and his moods.

"I always knew you were a romantic underneath your snarky exterior," Pansy exclaimed breathlessly to Draco as she and Seamus dropped into a couple of empty chairs, faces flushed from dancing.

Harry's smile widened as Draco's arms tightened around him. "Who says I'm romantic?" Draco drawled.

All four of the others snickered. "You were the only couple out there on the dance floor who were completely oblivious to their surroundings. We saw you with Dustin. He comes onto the dance floor still looking a little stressed, and leaves looking all dreamy."

"We weren't completely oblivious," Harry protested. "We just didn't care."

"Same difference," Pansy said dismissively. "It still comes down to Draco treating you all sweet."

Harry winced, waiting for the explosion. "I do _not_ do _sweet_ ," Draco sneered.

"Should have stuck with the word romantic," Harry said to Pansy.

"Well, he is all sweet and romantic with you," Pansy retorted, ignoring Draco's glare.

"Yes, but you're not supposed to tell him that," Harry said.

Draco's head dropped to Harry's shoulder. "I give up," he muttered.

Harry laughed lightly, turning his head to whisper in Draco's ear. "You'll always be a snarky bastard and I love you for it."

"Ah, thank you," Draco drawled, lifting his head again.

"What'd you do? Tell him he's still a bastard?" Blaise asked Harry, eyeing Draco in amusement.

Harry laughed and sat up as Draco suddenly reached across the table to smack Blaise alongside the head. 

"I'll take it that's a yes, then?" Blaise asked, ducking away before Draco could smack him again. "And I've ruined the endearment by speaking it aloud?"

All of them broke out in laughter as Draco glared at them. He turned his glare on Harry. "You have so totally and completely ruined my reputation."

Harry shrugged, unapologetic, and his eyes flashing mischievously. "I don't really care about your reputation. You're mine and it doesn't much matter what anyone else has to say about you, anyway."

The others simply laughed louder as Harry's words made Draco pause and blink at him. Harry's hand was resting on the table, his pinkie finger tapping lightly on the surface. He caught Blaise's eye and Blaise winked at him, having caught the gesture. Harry didn't have a chance to say anything else before Draco had pulled him back and claimed him with a searing kiss.

Harry twisted around until he could straddle Draco's lap, hands twining in Draco's hair as things heated up quickly between the two of them. Draco's hands had slipped to Harry's arse, pulling him in closer.

A hand landing on each of their shoulders brought them apart, and Harry blinked dazedly up at Severus. "Hi, Father."

"Might I remind you of your surroundings?" Severus sneered down at the two of them.

"Um, the Great Hall?" Harry asked innocently.

"Yes, the Great Hall," Severus said. "With the entire school present, including younger students and the staff."

"Yes, for the Ball," Harry agreed, squirming as Draco's hands lightly caressed his thighs.

"It is quite a lovely event," Draco said graciously. "Everyone seems to be having a wonderful time."

"I know I'm having a great time," Harry said.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes in defeat. "Might I suggest one of the carriage rides around the castle grounds?" he said wearily.

"Sounds wonderful!”

"Indeed," Severus said dryly. "Take it outside," he said before turning and walking away, robes billowing behind him.

"Draco? Shall we?" Harry asked, tone polite as he ground his hips once against Draco's. "Or would that be considered too romantic for your reputation?"

Draco inhaled sharply. "Fuck my reputation," he snarled, pushing Harry off his lap.

"Did your father just suggest you two go have sex in one of the carriages?" Seamus asked unbelievingly.

"Yes," Harry answered over his shoulder, already walking out of the Great Hall with Draco right beside him, their friends' laughter following them.

They climbed into one of the carriages in front of the castle and quickly picked up where they'd left off. Clothes were swiftly undone enough for Harry to straddle Draco's lap much more comfortably this time. Harry felt far more satisfied when his erection was freed from its confines and was grinding against Draco's hard length.

He claimed Draco's mouth in a bruising kiss as they thrust against each other. Harry's fingers were back to tangling in Draco's hair as Draco's hands slid back to cup Harry's arse once again, pulling Harry closer to him and generating more of the pleasurable friction.

Harry arched into Draco, throwing his head back as he found his release. Draco ground his hips a few more times before he tipped over the edge as well.

Still breathing heavily, they cleaned up and straightened their clothing before snagging the blanket that was folded neatly on the other carriage seat and snuggling up together to enjoy the rest of the ride.

"You know, you really are a romantic," Harry said softly, gazing out the carriage window at the beautiful winter scenery.

"Well, not everyone needs to know that," Draco said ruefully.

Harry chuckled lightly. "I imagine it's hard for them not to notice when you danced with me so _sweetly_ earlier in front of everyone."

Draco smacked his arm lightly. "Didn't I say I don't do sweet?" he drawled. Harry could hear the amusement and smiled.

"I like it when you're sweet sometimes," Harry said softly.

"I enjoyed dancing with you, too," Draco said, seeming ready, for the moment, to give up the attitude game he enjoyed playing. "I'm enjoying right now."

Harry snuggled closer to Draco and they lapsed into a comfortable silence, rocking gently in the carriage as they travelled around the Hogwarts grounds.

"Draco?"

"Hmmm?"

"It's New Year's Eve. Do you think the new year will be better than this one?" 

"I don't know," Draco said after a few moments of thoughtful silence. "This last year has been pretty good for me."

Harry sighed, gazing unseeingly out the carriage window.

"Hey," Draco said, shifting so he could look at Harry. "I thought this year was good for you, too."

Harry blinked, bringing Draco into focus and seeing the slight worry on his pale features. Harry reached up and brushed his fingers against Draco's cheek. "It has been a good year in a lot of ways," he said, smiling a gentle, reassuring smile.

Harry turned away again. "But I also lost Sirius this year. Why did I have to lose my godfather to gain my father?"

"I don't know, Harry," Draco said, cradling Harry against him. Harry felt the sting of tears, but was damned if he wanted to cry again. He almost wanted to smack Draco for knowing when he needed to hear his name. Hearing his name just made him want to cry more at the moment.

"I've been a right mess today, haven't I?" Harry said somewhat shakily.

"You've had good reason," Draco answered.

They lapsed into silence again, Harry soaking up every last bit of silent comfort that Draco was offering him. When the carriage stopped in front of the castle steps, Harry once again felt composed and content. They stepped back into the Great Hall, spotted their friends at the same table where they'd left them, and went to sit down again.

"Feel better?" Blaise asked wryly, with a hint of real concern.

"Yes, thank you," Harry answered graciously, bowing his head slightly and winking.

"You two are something else," Seamus said, shaking his head in slight disbelief and amusement.

"Oh, why don't you go dance with a Hufflepuff," Draco sneered. 

"Now, there's a new insult," Harry said, laughing at Draco.

"You, too," Draco said, shoving Harry.

"What?!" Harry squawked in disbelief.

"I said," Draco said slowly. "Why don't you go dance with a Hufflepuff."

"Why would I want to dance with a Hufflepuff when I've got you?" Harry asked, sounding totally bewildered, having no idea where Draco was coming up with this idea or _why_ he was saying this.

Draco jerked his chin in the direction of the far side of the room. "Look at all of those lowly first years," he sneered. "I don't know that they should be allowed to just sit around like that. Merlin knows what kind of trouble they could be causing."

Harry looked over and realized that Draco was right in the sense that most of the first years were simply sitting around and talking. Glancing around the room, he finally noticed that a lot of the lower years were just sitting around and hardly any of them were dancing. He was happy to see that they seemed to be mingling together with the other houses, at least.

Harry grinned when it hit him that most of the friendships and relationships appeared to have survived the Slytherin party and the upper years seemed to be having a great time. He'd been so caught up in Draco and his own mental drama so far that he hadn't paid much attention to everyone else. It appeared that Draco had, though. Harry turned back to Draco.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Harry asked slowly.

"Of course, I'm serious," Draco scoffed. "Now, go away," he said, waving his hand dismissively.

Harry leaned forward and gave Draco a gentle kiss. "I love you, Draco Malfoy," he whispered against Draco's lips.

Draco's eyes were sparkling with laughter, and he smiled a little before schooling his features again. "I said, go away," he drawled.

Harry grinned and pecked Draco on the lips again before turning to the others who had been shamelessly listening to the exchange with grins on their faces.

Harry quirked a questioning brow at Blaise. "Blaise? Care to dance?" he asked pleasantly.

"Sure thing, Dustin," Blaise answered, his grin widening. "Neville?"

Neville shook his head vehemently. "I'll stay here with Malfoy."

Laughing, Harry looked at Draco, who simply shrugged. "Works for me," he drawled lazily.

"I never thought I'd hear that," Seamus said, laughing as well.

"Seamus? Pansy? Care to join Blaise and I?" Harry asked, standing and bowing to them formally, the effect ruined by his wide grin.

"I do believe we were ordered to find us some Hufflepuffs to dance with," Seamus answered.

"I'm in," Pansy said, laughing even as she shook her head at them all.

The four of them crossed the dance floor, dancing and moving the second they'd hit the floor. The upper years caught on fast as they saw Harry and Blaise dancing wildly and having fun. A lot of people grinned as they moved back, giving Harry and Blaise more room. Even Pansy and Seamus stayed back a bit as Harry and Blaise put on a bit of a show dancing. Feet moving furiously to the upbeat music, they gyrated around the centre of the dance floor, clearly having a great time. 

With exchanged grins, the four of them danced off the other side and started grabbing some of the younger years to dance with, pulling them onto the dance floor. Harry started with a very little Hufflepuff girl who'd been tapping her foot to the beat. She blushed a bright red, but followed Harry out to the dance floor.

Harry was dancing with the girl who had quickly got into the swing of things when he spotted Dean and Ginny dancing nearby and grinning at him. He grabbed the young girl's hand and handed her off to dance with Dean, switching partners with him. Dean smiled at the confused little first year, and encouraged her to keep dancing.

Harry pulled a laughing Ginny off the dance floor with him. "You planning on carrying anyone out to the dance floor this time?" she asked.

"Only if necessary," Harry said with an answering grin.

"You know, I've yet to thank you for that," she said ruefully.

"You're welcome," Harry said cheerfully. 

"You're crazy, you know that, right?" she asked, laughing at him.

Harry nodded happily in agreement. "If it means getting everyone out there and having fun, then it works for me. Now let's find a nice pair to drag out to the dance floor."

"Them," Ginny said, heading over to a young Ravenclaw couple. Harry grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her out of her chair as Ginny grabbed the boy's hand. They pulled the two out to the dance floor, soon getting the couple to relax and dance together.

Ginny headed off when she spotted a Hufflepuff boy looking longingly at the dance floor, and Harry went back to see who else he could find.

He met up with Blaise at the edge of the dance floor. "See that group of giggling girls over there?" Blaise asked.

Harry glanced over in the direction Blaise was pointing and grinned mischievously. "Yeah, I see them," he answered, watching all the girls blush and giggle some more.

"I bet we can get them all out there at once," Blaise challenged.

"I don't know," Harry said, doing a quick head count. "There are ten of them and only two of us." He smirked at Blaise. "Let's go!"

Blaise and Harry danced their way over to the giggling group of second years.

"Would you ladies care to dance?" Harry asked formally.

"All of us?" a young Gryffindor asked, giggling again.

"Of course," Blaise answered. "It would be our honour to dance with so many lovely ladies."

Harry and Blaise were already pulling girls out of their seats and gently leading them to the dance floor.

"I can't dance," one girl squeaked anxiously.

"Sure you can," Harry said. "All you have to do is bounce around and have fun," he whispered conspiratorially.

She glanced nervously out at all the dancers, which now included a lot of the younger years. Many of them were going out on their own now that they saw their friends on the dance floor having fun. "Really?" she asked warily.

"Really," Harry said, smiling reassuringly. "Come on. It'll be fun," he said, grabbing her hand and following the others, Blaise leading the way.

Harry and Blaise danced with the group of girls for a full song, encouraging all of them to just relax and have fun whether they had a partner or not. Once the girls were dancing on their own, they left the group to their own devices.

Blaise and Harry danced together for a bit, glancing around the room. "I think we got things going," Harry said.

"Yeah," Blaise answered. "But, Merlin, were we ever that small?"

Harry laughed as he spun around. "Of course we were." He danced closer to Blaise. "Just be thankful we've got Draco and Neville instead of a couple of giggly girls," he whispered. He spun away again, laughing as Blaise shuddered, knowing it wasn't some new jerky dance move.

~*~*~*~

"Er, Malfoy?"

Draco lifted an eyebrow in question.

"Why did you suggest they do that?" Neville asked, looking out at Harry and Blaise dancing.

"Do you have a problem with it?" Draco questioned.

"No," Neville said, shaking his head quickly. "I just, well, I kind of thought that you'd have a problem with it."

Draco gazed out onto the dance floor, watching Harry and Blaise bounce around. "They're doing it for the school, all the students," Draco replied after several seconds had passed.

"They're having fun, though," Neville said quietly, sounding a little nervous at pushing the issue.

Draco quirked a half smile, glancing at Neville. "He deserves to have a little fun. Both of them do."

Neville frowned at him, not sure what to say.

Draco rolled his eyes, not believing that he was having this conversation with Neville Longbottom. "I feel the same way you are probably feeling," Draco admitted quietly, smirking as Neville's eyes widened. "They're enjoying that scene, we don't enjoy it. It's that simple. Dustin is mine, just as Blaise is yours. For some reason I am yet unable to fathom," he added the last, muttering almost to himself. He shook his head and continued. "I'm not going to pitch a fit when I know perfectly well that it's simply dancing and means absolutely nothing more to either one of them. 

Neville opened his mouth to speak, quickly closing it again.

"Doesn't sound like me, does it?" Draco asked dryly.

Neville shook his head, smiling a little. "No, not really," he admitted. "But I keep forgetting how much you've changed."

Draco's half smile was back as he turned back to watching Harry dance. "I'm not sure I've really changed all that much."

"You've changed a lot," Neville spluttered. "You wouldn't be sitting here having a conversation like this with me if you hadn't changed."

Draco snorted. "I'm still having trouble believing I'm actually having this conversation with you."

"See, so you've changed," Neville said again.

Draco glanced at Neville, debating if he really wanted to say anything or not. "I'm still who I've always been," he said quietly. "I've simply changed my perspective on what's important to me. Anything else follows from that."

Neville blinked at him, glanced out at Harry, then back to Draco. "And he's more important to you than anything else, isn't he?"

"Yes," Draco answered simply.

They sat in silence once again as they continued to watch the dancers.

~*~*~*~

Happy with their success and tired of dancing, Harry and Blaise went back to collapse into chairs next to their boyfriends. "Have fun?" Draco drawled in amusement, handing Harry a glass of punch.

"Yes," Harry answered simply, before drinking the offered punch greedily, thankful it wasn't spiked.

"I can't believe you two got almost the whole school out there dancing," Neville said, shaking his head as he continued to stare out at all the people on the dance floor.

"Hey! Pansy and Seamus helped this time," Harry protested.

Draco snorted. "They wouldn't have been able to do it without you two."

Harry shrugged, offering Draco a sheepish smile. "Maybe," he admitted.

Draco shook his head, tugging at Harry's arm, pulling him to lie back against him again.

"I'm all hot and sweaty," Harry protested.

Rolling his eyes, Draco solved that problem with a couple flicks of his wand.

"Heh, well that works," Harry said, lying back happily.

"You do know that you're supposed to get all hot and sweaty only with me," Draco whispered in his ear. Harry closed his eyes as a shiver trailed down his spine, images of him and Draco all hot and sweaty together flashing through his mind.

"What'd you do to him?" Blaise asked Draco, laughing at Harry. "One minute with you and he's looking all dreamy again.

Draco grinned wickedly. "That's my little secret."

"Is it time to go back to our room yet?" Harry asked innocently.

"Nope!" Blaise answered. "You've still got a while yet."

"But Draco put images in my head," Harry whinged.

The others sniggered at Harry's whinging. He wasn't generally the type to whinge about anything. "Oh, fine. Be that way," Harry huffed.

"Sorry, Angel," Draco drawled.

"You're not sorry at all," Harry said with a rueful smile.

"Hey, can we join you for a bit?"

Harry looked up to see Hermione and Ron and waved a hand towards the empty chairs in invitation. "We just came over to find out if Dustin and Malfoy were going to follow up with dancing like the other night," Hermione said.

Harry squirmed. "No, I don't think it's wise for us to go back out dancing anytime soon," he muttered.

The others, including Draco, broke out laughing. Hermione ignored Harry's glare and grinned at him. "Probably for the best, considering the change in audience," she said lightly, teasing Harry.

"It's not for a lack of trying on their part, though, despite the audience," Blaise said wryly. "Snape's already kicked them out of here once."

"You're joking," Ron said in disbelief, staring at Harry and Draco. "You two didn't really try anything in here tonight?"

Ron received two matching smirks in answer and he shook his head in disbelief. "You two are unbelievable."

The group continued the light-hearted banter, Pansy and Seamus joining them. It was a relaxed group, enjoying their 'evening out'.

"Hey! It's almost midnight!" Blaise shouted suddenly.

The entire school counted down the last seconds of the year, cheering and snogging ensuing immediately after. Cheers and toasts were made to the New Year.

Harry simply sat quietly with Draco through most of it, although they had kissed, bringing in the New Year. He was thinking about what this coming year would bring and whether it would be good or bad—or a major dose of both good and bad like this last year had been. He sighed softly, letting the boisterousness of the crowd wash over him.

"Feel up to dancing with me again?" Draco asked quietly.

"You know I'd love to dance with you anytime," Harry answered with a smile.

Draco snorted. "You said it wasn't wise earlier."

"I did say it wasn't wise," Harry agreed, a smirk now gracing his features. "But that didn't mean I didn't want to."

Draco nodded once in acknowledgment, agreeing that Harry had a point as they made their way out to the dance floor again.

Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist, pulling him close. Harry sighed in pleasure, hands sliding up Draco's arms to twine around his neck.

"You're not in the mood for fast dancing tonight, are you?" Harry asked, smiling softly.

"Not particularly," Draco agreed.

"Romantic," Harry teasingly accused.

"Shut up," Draco sneered.

Harry chuckled lightly, dropping his head to rest on Draco's shoulder.

"Happy New Year, Harry," Draco breathed into his ear.

Harry smiled. Maybe this really would be a good year. "Happy New Year, Draco."


	41. Chapter 41

"Where are our sons?" Lucius asked.

Severus snorted in amusement. "Probably shagging like bunnies in their room," he said wryly.

Lucius lifted a brow in question, but was amused by Severus' choice of words. Much as Severus would be loath to admit it, he picked up on some of the boys' phrases periodically.

"They have a potions exam tomorrow, which means they are likely avoiding any studying," Severus explained.

Lucius chuckled. "Ah, this translates to mean that you know very well that they are both more than ready for the exam, so they have a bit of free time on their hands."

"And are likely using it to shag like bunnies," Severus repeated, agreeing with him.

"Are you ready for the exam tomorrow?" Lucius questioned. "Or do you still have work to do tonight?"

"I am ready," Severus stated.

"Then perhaps we could retire early this evening?" Lucius suggested.

By way of answering, Severus simply stood and made his way to the bedroom, beginning to undo the buttons on his robe as he walked. Lucius followed, quite pleased with this turn of events. 

Severus stripped out of his clothes, gaze intense as he watched Lucius do the same. Robes were carefully laid over the back of a chair rather than being tossed carelessly to the floor.

Severus stepped forward into Lucius' embrace, mouths meeting in a passionate kiss. He was still amazed sometimes that this beautiful man was his now. He was vaguely aware that he was being moved backwards, and when the back of his legs hit the bed, he was pushed unceremoniously onto it.

Lucius gazed down at him, a feral grin gracing his features. Severus moved further onto the bed, smirking up at Lucius. Lucius snatched up the lube from the bedside table before joining him.

"Impatient tonight?" Severus asked.

"On your hands and knees," Lucius commanded.

Severus quirked an eyebrow, but complied immediately. Clearly Lucius was the one in charge that evening and Severus gladly gave him the control. He was wondering at the abruptness and the swiftness, but didn't question.

Severus inhaled sharply as a long finger entered him without warning, quickly joined by a second. When those fingers curled, hitting his prostate, Severus cried out, not caring anymore about whatever seemed to be driving Lucius. Just moments later, Severus was hissing at the slight burn as Lucius entered him. He was soon groaning with pleasure, Lucius thrusting into him fast and hard, hands gripping hips hard enough to leave bruises.

Severus cried out when one of Lucius' hands reached around and firmly grasped his erection, matching stroke for stroke.

"Come for me," Lucius demanded, and Severus did exactly that, coating the bed sheets with his come as Lucius came, buried deep inside him.

Afterwards, they lay side by side on the bed, breathing heavily.

"Old demons?" Severus asked quietly.

"Yes," Lucius answered simply.

Nothing more needed to be said. Severus rolled to his side, wrapping one arm around Lucius' chest, thankful they understood each other.

~*~*~*~

"Father, is there something wrong?" Harry asked Severus the next morning, having just seen Lucius leave.

Severus sighed heavily, gazing at Harry and Draco's concerned expressions. "No, there is nothing specifically wrong."

Draco cast a sharp glance at Harry, which Severus caught. "Draco, is there a reason why you should associate that comment with Harry?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

Draco gazed at Harry and Severus suspiciously. "All three of you are feeling it, aren't you?" he asked Severus.

"Feeling what?" Severus asked, flicking his gaze towards Harry briefly.

"You and Father don't like this silence of Voldemort's either," Draco said sharply. "You're both getting just as nervous that something's going to happen soon."

"We believe it is certainly possible with the Dark Lord's history in regards to Harry," Severus admitted.

"Fuck!" Draco exclaimed. "Why can't you just be happy that it's been quiet?" Draco snapped at Harry. He turned to glare at Severus. "And I thought you'd be encouraging him to stay out of trouble, not leading him to expect it coming."

"It is best to be prepared, Draco," Severus said calmly. "You know this."

Draco glared at him a few moments longer before storming back to their room without answering.

Harry glanced at the door, before gazing intently at his father. "I thought Lucius looked a lot like Sirius," he said quietly, gauging his father for his reaction to that statement.

Severus looked startled for a moment, confirming Harry's suspicion. "How did you know?" Severus asked.

Harry shrugged helplessly. "He just had that haunted look about him," he said softly. "Sirius would look that way sometimes."

"It is not your fault that either of them spent time in Azkaban, Harry," Severus said sharply.

"I know," Harry said.

"Do you?" Severus questioned.

"Yes," Harry answered, meeting Severus' gaze. 

Severus stared at him intently for several long minutes before relenting and giving Harry a curt nod.

"Is it what you told Draco, too?" Harry asked. He went on to clarify. "Is Lucius also stressed by this waiting game we seem to be playing with Voldemort?"

Severus sighed wearily. "Yes, Harry. We are both concerned, as you very well know. Now, go try talking to Draco."

Harry gave his father a quick hug before going after Draco.

~*~*~*~

"Is he asleep?" Neville asked Draco quietly.

Harry had been sitting up and reading a book like the others. Gradually he had slid down and now he was lying with his head in Draco's lap, eyes closed, and book simply lying at his side.

Draco's eyes didn't even leave the page he was reading. "No, he's awake," he answered absently.

Neville glanced at Blaise, who was sitting at the other end of the sofa Neville was sitting on. Blaise simply shrugged. He still had no idea either, how Draco always seemed to know. Draco was proved right, though, when Harry spoke up.

"Did you need something, Neville?"

"Not really," Neville said, shrugging uncomfortably. "You've just seemed a little preoccupied all evening and now here you are practically asleep. Just wondering if something is wrong."

Draco snorted and Harry opened his eyes and gave Neville a rueful smile. "I'm fine," he said, ignoring Draco.

"Draco?" Blaise questioned.

Harry pouted as Draco smirked, both of them knowing that Blaise was asking Draco for the straight answer.

"He's just thinking too much again," Draco drawled.

"Thinking about what?" Blaise asked curiously.

"For one, he's thinking about playing against the Gryffindors in the game coming up in just a couple weeks finally," Draco smirked.

"Oh," Neville said, darting a worried glance at Harry.

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's not like we're all bitter rivals anymore," he drawled.

"Yeah, and I'd like to keep it that way," Harry said. "Beating Gryffindor in Quidditch should help ensure that I'll stay on good terms with Ron," he said sarcastically.

"Weasley gets along with even Draco fairly well these days," Blaise said in a reasonable tone.

"But Ron won't get along with him when he finds out Draco had Harry playing on his team," Neville said.

"Neville, sometimes you just don't know when to keep your mouth shut," Draco snapped. Harry was still a little impressed that they'd finally got Draco to start calling Neville by his first name.

Neville flushed. "Sorry," he said to Harry.

Harry waved off the apology. "That's okay. You're right anyway." He sighed. "I'm not really that upset about the game anyway. What happens, will happen."

"Then what is bothering you?" Blaise asked, frowning at Harry.

Harry exchanged a glance with Draco. Draco shrugged, seeming to say it was Harry's choice whether to answer Blaise's question or not.

Harry sighed. "Nothing's really wrong, and that's what's bothering me."

Blaise and Neville gazed at Harry blankly and Draco snickered. "Angel's upset because there's been no trouble for him to get into for months now."

"That's not why I'm upset," Harry protested.

Draco arched a brow, silently challenging Harry's response.

"Oh, shut up, Draco," Harry snapped.

Blaise was openly sniggering while Neville was obviously trying to subdue his grin. "He didn't even say anything," Blaise pointed out helpfully.

"Yes, he did," Harry retorted, sounding sulky. "He just didn't say it with words. And I do not _want_ any trouble," he added.

"Maybe you don't want it, but you expect it regardless," Draco said dryly.

"It's just been too quiet," Harry said.

"Something happens at the end of every year, doesn't it?" Neville asked.

"Yes. I know it sounds stupid," Harry said, putting his hand over Draco's mouth so he wouldn't automatically respond to that comment. "But it's already late April and I'm sure Voldemort's planning something."

"You don't know that," Draco said harshly, removing Harry's hand from his mouth.

Harry sighed heavily. They'd already had this argument—more than once. "I don't know for sure," he admitted quietly, not wanting to argue with Draco again.

"What makes you think he's planning something?" Blaise asked worriedly. Neither Harry nor Draco had said anything about this until now.

Harry glanced up at Draco, who was scowling at Blaise for asking. Harry knew that Draco believed him, even though his arguments made it sound like he didn't. Draco was worried and he was not a pleasant worrier.

Glancing over at Neville and Blaise, Harry realized that it hadn't been the smartest idea to bring this up. It was just irritating Draco to no end and now Blaise and Neville were likely to be more worried, too.

"It's nothing really," Harry said. "I just don't like all this quietness from Voldemort, and since something always seems to happen towards the end of every school year, it just makes me a little more nervous."

He left out the part about feeling twinges in his scar more often again lately. He shouldn't have been feeling them at all, but he was. Very rarely did his Occlumency shields slip, especially since he had messed up that night in the autumn when Draco had found out who he was.

The problem wasn't just that he was feeling the slight twinges. They seemed to be coming at odd times. Severus and Lucius never had anything to report that would've corresponded to the twinges. In fact, they'd had very little to report at all. Mainly it was simply Voldemort recruiting new members to his ranks, attempting to build up a larger army. Compared to the rather small gathering after his resurrection, he now had close to a hundred marked followers.

Harry was sure Voldemort found it surprising that he hadn't been able to recruit even more followers. Harry wasn't surprised that people didn't seem to want to be recruited, but he didn't understand why Voldemort was lying low with all the new members that he did have. Why the sudden recruitment drive? He didn't know and it worried him.

Blaise and Neville seemed to accept Harry's answer well enough, but that was probably because of Draco's response more than Harry's. "I don't know why you're worried anyway," Draco drawled. "We're ready for anything that might happen around here. Death Eaters could swarm the school at this moment and we could deal with it, with all the training we've done."

"True," Harry said thoughtfully.

"Of course, it's true," Draco declared haughtily. "So, you can quit looking for trouble when there is none."

"You two really think we could handle a Death Eater attack?" Blaise asked, sounding a little incredulous.

Harry looked at him askance. "Blaise," he said slowly. "Our group has already handled one attack," he reminded him.

"Oh, that's right," Blaise said sheepishly.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Maybe you have reason to be worried after all, Angel," he muttered.

Harry chuckled, the tension broken. They all went back to their studies in a lighter mood.

~*~*~*~

Finally, it was time for the Slytherin versus Gryffindor Quidditch match. Everyone was excited about the game, and Harry was as ready for it as he would ever be.

He pulled the broom up into the air, above the other players, automatically keeping an eye out for the Snitch. He felt incredibly odd and out of place, though. He hadn't had a real problem when they played against Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, but playing _against_ the red and gold team—it didn't feel _normal_. It didn't exactly feel wrong, but it sure didn't feel right, either.

Harry swooped around the perimeter of the pitch with Ginny tailing him. They passed Miles who was guarding the goalposts and he had to remind himself that Miles was on his team. They passed Ron at the other end of the pitch and Harry was reminding himself that he was playing against Ron. 

He pushed aside the pang of guilt that brought him and searched out Draco on the pitch. Draco should be tailing him, not Ginny. Harry smiled, though, as he saw Draco score, managing to get the Quaffle past Ron and through the far hoop.

Scanning the pitch, he saw no sign of the Snitch. Sensing the Bludger coming up on his left, he dove to avoid it. It was soon obvious what Gryffindor's strategy was as Sloper and Kirke batted the Bludgers towards Harry at every opportunity.

Harry shot forward and came up alongside Crabbe, Goyle coming up on the other side of Harry. "I'll deal with the Bludgers coming my way," he shouted. "Just stay with the Chasers in case they decide to try to attack them again." Crabbe and Goyle nodded their agreement, even as they each batted the incoming Bludgers away from Harry and back towards the Gryffindor Chasers.

"And don't foul them," Harry added. "We can win this honestly and prove Slytherin can win a fair game."

Crabbe and Goyle looked at him askance, but nodded their agreement before flying off. Harry dipped into a steep dive, avoiding the Bludgers that were already aimed back at him.

Harry didn't have time to pay much attention to the rest of the game, constantly on the move to avoid the Bludgers while searching for the Snitch, and still keeping an eye on Ginny in case she spotted it first. Especially since she wasn't tailing him closely anymore.

Harry put on a burst of speed to avoid another Bludger and then spun in a corkscrew loop to miss the second. He dipped down to weave through the Gryffindor Chasers for a brief respite and grinned when he caused enough interference, enabling Draco to regain the Quaffle.

The pattern continued, Harry swerving and performing complicated manoeuvres to avoid the Bludgers being continually directed at him.

After one particularly close call, he was extremely thankful that Lockhart wasn't around, just in case he did get hit. Sloper and Kirke were extremely accurate with their hits and they kept Harry moving.

He was beginning to get frustrated, having less time to search for the Snitch. He flew up next to Ginny. "Any luck so far?" he asked with a grin, flying close to her and thankful for the respite from the Bludgers.

"No." Ginny grinned back. "Despite having more time to look than you."

Harry laughed, even as his eyes were scanning the pitch again.

"Malfoy scores another goal! 60-40 in Slytherin's favour!"

Harry heard Ginny's groan above the roar of the Slytherin's cheering. Many members of the other houses seemed to be cheering for Slytherin this year, too. He grinned at Ginny as they swooped around the Slytherin goalposts.

Suddenly, they spotted the Snitch at the same time and took off. Once again, everything else faded into the background for Harry. 

He swerved his way through all the Chasers, Ginny right beside him. All the way across the pitch they swooped and swerved. Harry ducked and followed the Snitch through one of the goal posts before doing a flip turn as the Snitch abruptly rose before darting back towards the middle of the pitch.

Harry didn't know what Ginny had done, but suddenly she was dogging his side again. They dodged their way through the other players once more before turning into a sharp dive as the Snitch darted towards the ground.

He felt the pull of gravity adding to his speed and adrenaline was coursing through him freely as he rushed towards the ground, eyes focused on the Snitch. He was barely aware when Ginny pulled back, his hand stretched out . . . and his fingers snagged the Snitch as he pulled up sharply on the broom handle with his other hand, arcing gracefully back into the air, as the sound rushed into his ears again.

"Slytherin wins! 210-40! Dustin Snape has caught the Snitch and Slytherin wins!"

Harry was grinning widely as the Slytherin team suddenly swarmed him, and Draco was kissing him in mid-air. Draco broke away, shouting triumphantly. Harry blinked at him dazedly, feeling a rush of a different sort now.

He wasn't exactly worried about falling off his broom with the team packed around them as they drifted back down to the ground.

"You won! We won!" Draco was shouting.

For the next twenty minutes or so, Harry tried to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. He directed all the attention he could towards Draco, the team captain who looked like he was walking on air in all the excitement.

Harry was watching Draco with a somewhat bemused indulgence, when Ron and Ginny came up behind him. Ron looked like Ginny had dragged him there against his will, his expression one of extreme disappointment. 

Harry thought he looked a little green around the edges. "You all right, Ron?"

Ron opened his mouth, then closed it again, seemingly unable to speak. He was watching Draco prancing around the pitch, happily accepting congratulations from all the well wishers.

"He'll be fine," Ginny said with a roll of her eyes. "We just came to say congratulations."

"Thanks," Harry said, sharing a grin with her. "You played a good game."

She studied him contemplatively for a moment. "So did you," she said. She hesitated a little before continuing. "To be honest, I think Slytherin played the game more fairly than Gryffindor did."

Harry shrugged unconcernedly. "Your strategy was valid."

"But not exactly ethical," she said wryly. "It's a little unusual for Slytherin to play a more ethical game than Gryffindor."

"Maybe," Harry grinned with another shrug.

"You know," Ron said slowly, bringing Harry and Ginny's attention back to him. "I think this game may have meant more to Malfoy than to me even."

Ginny looked at her brother proudly as Harry gazed at him in surprise. That had to have been one of the most difficult admissions Ron had ever made.

"It does mean a lot to him," Harry admitted quietly.

Ron closed his eyes tightly, looking like his next words were costing him everything he had. "He earned the win," he said. "He played fair."

Harry felt the guilt squirming in his gut again. Did it count as fair when one of the players wasn't who everyone thought he was?

"Of course, Malfoy also had you playing for him, which cinched the game," Ron said wryly.

Unknowingly, Ron's words made Harry feel a little better. "So you think Slytherin could have won without me playing?" Harry asked with a cheeky grin.

"If it wasn't you playing Seeker, then it would have been Malfoy. Ginny had tough competition either way," Ron admitted with a shrug.

"Hey! I'm not all bad!" Ginny protested, but she was laughing at her brother.

"No, but they're better," Ron admitted, sighing heavily. Then he brightened. "I think we were fairly evenly matched otherwise."

"Yes, I think we were," Harry said, grinning again. He was feeling very, very happy with Ron's grudging acceptance of Slytherin's win. If he could accept things this quickly after the game, and wasn't holding the win purely as Dustin's influence, then things were good. It seemed Ron was growing up, too.

They stood silently for a minute, watching Draco bounding around the field. "You might want to go see if you can rein him in again," Ron said in amusement.

"You don't want to go congratulate him yourself?" Harry asked innocently. "Captain to captain and all that?"

Ron looked panicked. "Erm, I don't think so. He looks a little busy right now."

Harry and Ginny were laughing. "Get out of here," Harry told them. "I don't blame you for not wanting to face him right now." He glanced over at Draco. "I'm not sure I know how to deal with him either," he said with a bemused smile.

"Glad it's you and not me," Ron said with a grin. Harry went back to watching Draco as Ron and Ginny left the pitch.

"Congratulations."

Harry turned and beamed at his father. He was happy when he received the rare hug out in public. He knew his father was quite pleased with the Slytherin win, too.

Severus was surprised, but pleased, when Harry recounted the conversation with Ron and Ginny. "It would appear you've done quite well today in more ways than one," Severus said proudly.

Harry grinned happily. "It's turned out better than I expected," he admitted.

"Might I suggest you go collect Draco before he humiliates Slytherin house any further?" Severus said. "It would not do for everyone to remember his behaviour rather than the win."

"Do I have to?" Harry whinged.

Severus' eyes were sparkling with amusement. "You created that monster, deal with it."

"I didn't create _that_ ," Harry protested.

"Deal with it," Severus ordered again, smiling at Harry.

"Fine," Harry huffed, but he couldn't suppress his amusement any longer and grinned again at his father before going to collect his boyfriend and drag him to the changing rooms.

~*~*~*~

"We won against Gryffindor!" Draco crowed triumphantly, grabbing Harry around the waist and swinging him in a circle.

"Put me down!" Harry protested, laughing at Draco. "Now who's been spending too much time around Blaise?"

"But we won!" Draco crowed again, although he did put Harry down.

Harry shook his head ruefully, watching in amusement as his normally calm and sedate boyfriend went prancing around the changing room congratulating the rest of the team and gloating triumphantly about how they'd beaten Gryffindor.

"Who is that?" Miles asked quietly, sidling up next to Harry.

"I think it's Draco," Harry said wryly. "But I'm not willing to guarantee that."

Miles laughed, but gave Harry a sly look. "Want me to hurry the rest of the team out of here so you can calm him down again before he hurts himself?"

"Probably a good idea," Harry said seriously, watching Draco swinging from some low-hanging pipes connected to the ceiling. Draco let go on an upswing, landing nimbly on his feet on one of the benches. He pranced along the bench, singing something about Weasley not being king anymore with a new prince in town.

"Sure he's not pissed?" Miles asked in amusement.

Harry snorted. "No, Draco is a mellow drunk. Seems he only gets high on a win over Gryffindor."

Harry began stripping off his Quidditch gear as Miles gathered the rest of the exuberant team, herding them out of the locker room.

"Hey! Where's everyone going?" Draco protested.

"Back to the dorms to celebrate," Miles shot back. "You just stay here and celebrate with Dustin for a bit."

Draco's eyes lit upon Harry stripping off his shirt and was instantly agreeable. "Get out of here then," he ordered the others. They left, laughing all the way out the door.

Draco sauntered over to Harry, but Harry side-stepped him. "Strip," Harry commanded. "We're taking a shower."

Stepping out of his trousers, he watched Draco in amusement. He hadn't realized it was possible to remove all that Quidditch gear that quickly. Shaking his head, Harry stepped over to the showers and turned the water on.

Tipping his head back, he let the hot water rinse away the sweat and grime, allowing the water to soothe away some of the tension. After a couple of minutes, he realized Draco hadn't joined him like he expected and he opened his eyes to search him out. He blinked the water out of his eyes, and looked down in astonishment when he realized that Draco was kneeling in front of him.

Draco was looking up at him with lust filled eyes and Harry felt himself immediately growing hard. "Draco?"

"You reward me for behaving well with the Gryffindors," Draco drawled. "This seems to be a time for rewarding you for playing well with the Slytherins."

Harry lost all thought about what he'd intended to say as Draco's pink tongue flicked against the head of his cock. Draco looked up at him through lashes sparkling with droplets of water as his lips parted and took Harry's length in his mouth.

"Rewards are good," Harry breathed, enjoying the explosion of sensation created by Draco's warm, wet mouth and talented tongue.

Needing the stability, Harry's hands gripped Draco's head, fingers tangling in the wet locks. His hips jerked of their own accord as Draco took more of Harry's length into his mouth and sucked hard.

Draco's hands were loosely grasping Harry's hips and Harry was somewhat surprised, but gloriously pleased, when Draco pulled Harry's hips forward, encouraging Harry to fuck his mouth. This wasn't normally an activity Draco was overly fond of allowing.

Harry wasn't about to question it, though, and groaned deeply as Draco swallowed him whole. Harry was careful not to hurt Draco, but began to fuck Draco's mouth in earnest, a slow arching of his hips back and forth, in and out of that wonderful cavern of Draco's mouth.

Harry tilted his head back for a few moments, the shower spray hitting him directly in the face, before looking down at Draco again.

"Oh gods, Draco," he breathed, realizing that Draco was stroking himself. "Draco," Harry cried his name in warning, and Draco answered by swallowing him to the root and humming. Harry came hard, shooting his seed directly down Draco's throat.

Legs trembling, Harry stumbled back until he hit the tile wall, and he rested against it, grateful for the support.

Draco stood and pressed himself against Harry, kissing him languidly. Harry tasted himself as he sucked lightly on Draco's tongue. He idly thought about the fact that one of Malfoy's flavours was his own flavour. Not a bad thing.

"Good?" Draco asked, his voice slightly raspy. Harry grinned, thinking it sounded sexy, but knowing that Draco hated it.

"I like rewards," Harry answered, practically purring in satisfaction.

Draco looked quite satisfied, too, and smirked at Harry. "I thought you deserved it for winning the game today."

Harry shook his head at the reminder. "So, are you feeling calmer now?" he asked wryly.

Draco gave him a wicked grin. "Maybe. I think we should finish showering and perhaps stop off in our room so you can shag me silly before we go to the Slytherin celebration."

"Works for me," Harry said eagerly, quite happy with that plan. He thought it made more sense to shag Draco silly than for Draco to act silly over the win.

~*~*~*~

They stepped into the Slytherin common room, which almost immediately erupted into loud cheering as they were spotted. Draco and Harry smirked at the crowd as they sauntered over to their usual sofa when they were there.

Blaise handed them both drinks, a wide grin gracing his features. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Harry said, returning Blaise's grin. He took a hefty swallow of the scotch and absently wondered where Blaise had got it from. He certainly knew what Harry preferred. Harry wasn't about to get pissed tonight, though. With his luck, Voldemort would cause trouble again, and dealing with Voldemort trouble with a hangover was _not_ fun.

For the next half hour, at least, almost everyone came around, congratulating Draco and Harry on the win. Harry brushed it all off, letting Draco have his glory as team captain.

Neville was there and gave Harry a somewhat bemused, yet understanding, smile. Neville was still mystified at the idea of Harry playing and helping Slytherin win, but he also understood the position Harry was in. Especially when it came to all the attention he was now trying to brush off.

Harry shrugged, giving Neville a rueful smile. Other than the substitution of alcohol for butterbeer, this boisterous crowd celebrating wasn't so different from the parties Gryffindor usually held after winning against Slytherin.

"You're used to all this, aren't you?" Draco whispered in his ear, having caught the exchange between Neville and Harry.

Harry winced slightly. "Um, yeah," he admitted.

Draco shook his head ruefully. "One more reason for me to be thankful you got sorted into Slytherin."

Harry shrugged, smiling sheepishly at him, thankful Draco wasn't getting angry about past losses.

Miles came by and slapped Harry on the shoulder. "Glad to see you managed to bring Draco back to us."

Harry snickered as Draco protested, "I was never gone."

"What's this about?" Blaise asked with interest.

Harry gleefully described Draco's behaviour in the changing room, much to everyone's amusement.

"Draco was a little excitable today," Blaise agreed with a huge grin. "But he seems pretty calm now."

Harry snorted in amusement. "Well, he's all shagged out and mellow now."

"It's been quite the successful day all the way around," Draco drawled.

Everyone laughed, settling in to simply relax and celebrate.


	42. Chapter 42

Harry and Draco were sitting with the other Slytherins eating breakfast when the post owls flew into the Great Hall. Harry glanced up as he always did, but wasn't really expecting anything. Draco, on the other hand, had his regular delivery of the Daily Prophet, plus one of his family's eagle owls landed at the table. Harry paid the owl for the paper, while Draco untied the letter from his father. 

Draco didn't even have a chance to open the envelope, however, before Harry gasped. Harry laid the paper down on the table between them so they could both see. The colour picture showed a plain white wall with a message written across the wall in red. 

__**Where are you Harry Potter?  
Come out of hiding or   
who knows who will be the next to die.**

The picture was simple and yet terribly horrific. The message itself was simple. What made the picture horrifying was the fact that it was obvious that the words were written in blood. The bright red words dripped down the picture, and the shiny red was a stark contrast to the whitewashed wall that made up the main background of the photo.

There was only one other thing visible in that startling red and white picture. There was a framed photograph hung on the wall. It was clearly a family photo, even though Harry knew there was always a member missing. That one detail told Harry exactly where this picture was taken.

Harry and Draco stared at each other for a moment before turning back to the paper to read the article.

**You-Know-Who Leaves Message For Harry Potter**

_You-Know-Who is searching for Harry Potter. Harry Potter survived the killing curse when he was a year old and caused the demise of You-Know-Who for many years. Harry Potter was sent to live with his mother's relatives. His aunt, uncle and cousin—shown in the photo above—were discovered dead early this morning. After the Ministry received an owl advising them to check the Dursley's home, Aurors were sent to assess the situation. The Dursleys were tortured before they were finally killed and the message was left on the wall for their nephew._

_You-Know-Who has returned and clearly wants his revenge on Harry Potter. The rumours that have been abound over the years show that so far he hasn't been successful._

_Perhaps this is why Harry Potter has gone into hiding. Is Harry Potter afraid that his luck has run out? If he doesn't return, who is going to be able to defeat You-Know-Who? Surely Harry Potter will come out of hiding to face him. He's done it before. We need Harry Potter._

_Unfortunately, no one seems to know where the Saviour of the Wizarding World is. Sources tell us that he did not return to Hogwarts for school this year. He's been missing for months. The only mention we've heard is that Harry Potter is training in a safe location. Let us hope that his training will pay off. We need the Saviour of the Wizarding World to return._

Harry leaned his head down and pinched the bridge of his nose in a manner reminiscent of his father. He felt Draco place a hand on the small of his back and somehow the small circles Draco was rubbing helped calm his nerves a bit. He couldn't break down. He didn't even like the Dursleys, but that hadn't meant that he wanted them dead. He certainly wasn't happy with the fact that their deaths were his fault.

He glanced up from the paper and realized that many eyes around the room were fixed on him. He had been preparing the DA well and they were looking to him for a decision as to what they would do with this new information.

Harry's thoughts were spinning. The irony of the situation was mind boggling. If they only realized that Harry Potter was the person they were all looking at. Harry Potter was hiding in plain sight and it was obviously effective. It looked like it might be necessary for him to reappear, though. But how? He sighed heavily. This was going to be a day of meetings.

He pulled out his galleon and set the time for the next DA meeting. He would have to talk to the members and reassure them somehow. He changed the date and time to read five o'clock that afternoon—after classes, but before dinner. All around the Hall people began reaching into their pockets and the sense of relief was almost tangible. They had a focus now.

If only Harry had a focus. He glanced up at the head table. Both Dumbledore and his father were looking at him with concern in their eyes. He nodded to them both, before turning back to Draco. Harry laid his head on Draco's shoulder and whispered quietly in his ear, "Will you come with me to Dumbledore's office?"

Draco's answer was to push away from the table and extend his hand to Harry. Harry squared his shoulders and both boys strode out of the room, heads held high. Harry made it to Dumbledore's office before he collapsed onto the sofa. Draco wrapped his arms around him and mumbled soothing sounds into Harry's hair as he rubbed his back. 

Harry was crying softly on Draco's shoulder. He wasn't sure why exactly he was crying. He hated the Dursleys when they were alive. He was sure that there was too much bad history for him to truly grieve for them. He hadn't really wanted them dead, though. More than anything, he was upset because there were three more people that were dead because of him. 

Who exactly did Voldemort intend to target next if Harry didn't reappear? That was probably where Harry needed to direct his attention.

Dumbledore and Snape stepped into the office. Dumbledore moved to his chair behind his desk, but Snape sat down on the sofa on the other side of Harry. He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. 

"How are you feeling?" Severus asked.

Harry didn't leave Draco's arms but he wiped his eyes and lifted his head. He smiled wanly at his father. "I've been better." But then he took a deep breath and sat up fully. He appreciated that Draco kept an arm around his waist, though. The warmth was soothing to his frazzled nerves. 

"I'm not exactly sorry that they are dead, and that bothers me a bit. I'm certainly not going to miss them. However, although they were awful to me, I'm not sure that they really deserved to die. This war wasn't their war, and it's ironic that they've been trying to distance themselves from anything to do with magic for so many years, just to be tortured to death by magic. And all because of me."

"You know that this isn't your fault, my boy," Dumbledore said. "Voldemort had them killed and he is the one at fault for their deaths."

"Voldemort may have been the one to order their deaths, but he wouldn't have chosen them if they hadn't been my relatives," Harry said. "They're dead because of this war between me and Voldemort. This was one more battle that he's won." 

Harry took another deep breath. The others remained silent and allowed Harry the time to gather his thoughts. "I know the death of the Dursleys technically isn't my fault. It may be morbid, but I'm thankful that Voldemort chose them to deliver his message rather than anyone else. However, Voldemort was still highly successful—it's clear to me that Harry Potter needs to return somehow." 

The others looked slightly uncomfortable after that statement, but Harry continued, "There's no way that I can just sit back and wait to see who Voldemort decides to kill next in my name."

"But, Angel," Draco started to say before Harry cut him off. 

"No, I've got to do something," he said forcefully. Harry looked at each of them in turn. "There are only a few people who know that I've been hiding in plain sight this whole time. We've got to figure out how to bring 'Harry Potter' out into the open, as such. And it needs to be soon, before Voldemort decides to do something else," he added.

Dumbledore spoke up. "Severus, do you have any idea of what Voldemort has planned? Any ideas at all?"

"No," Severus said slowly as he thought. "The Dark Lord seems to be pretty closed-lipped about these plans. I haven't heard anything. In fact, I haven't heard anything from Lucius either."

At that, Harry and Draco looked at each other. "Wait," Draco said. "I got a letter from my father this morning, but I forgot about it with the news in the paper." He quickly dug the letter out of his robe pocket and opened it up. He skimmed through it while the others waited and then he started to read it aloud.

_Draco,_

_The news in this morning's Daily Prophet will not be good, as I'm sure you've already likely discovered. It is unfortunate that not all the news about this horrible event has been reported. At least, that is often the case with the Daily Prophet._

_I will hopefully be meeting a mutual friend later tonight as per our usual arrangements. Perhaps you will be able to meet with friends as well. It might be a comfort to your friends to know that your father is willing to meet with others to discuss these events._

_I hope you are well, my son._

_Your loving father,_

_Lucius_

"Well, obviously Father has some more information. Hopefully he knows what exactly Voldemort has planned," Draco said. 

Harry looked at him askance. He'd read several of Lucius' letters over the past months, and had got used to them somewhat. This one was clearer than some of the others, but he still couldn't exactly see anything _obvious_ from what Lucius wrote. Severus seemed to hear the same thing Draco did, though.

"Indeed," said Severus. "Judging from your father's letter, he has some very valuable information. He seems to want you there as well." He looked to Dumbledore. "Under the circumstances, perhaps it would be best if I used the invisibility cloak and I bring Lucius here to your office tonight."

"Certainly, Severus," Dumbledore agreed. "If Lucius is willing, I'm sure he would be very helpful in helping us create a workable plan. Especially with the extra information that he seems to have." 

Draco spoke up. "I'm sure Father will agree. He is as ready for this to end as we all are." He glanced at Harry. "Well, perhaps not as much as Harry, but he wants this over with, too."

"Well then," Dumbledore said. "Severus, you will meet Lucius as planned and we will all convene back here at 9:30 tonight. We will see what he has to say and then we will work to come up with a viable plan of action at that point."

"One more thing before you go, Harry." Dumbledore stopped Harry before he left. "It seems that there was a DA meeting scheduled during breakfast." His eyes were back to twinkling merrily.

"Yes," Harry said with a small smile. "I scheduled a meeting for five o'clock today. Just scheduling the meeting seemed to ease the tension a bit. You and any of the other professors are welcome to attend."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said with a smile of his own. "You are a natural leader, Harry. I'm sure your meeting will be successful."

Harry and Draco recognized the dismissal for what it was. "Thank you, Albus," Harry said before walking out the door hand in hand with Draco. 

Before they left the stairs, Severus stopped Harry and pulled him into a brief hug. "It will be all right, Harry," he said. "The Dark Lord’s time will come. There will come a day when you will be able to just relax and be yourself and not worry about more death."

"I know, Father. I just hope that day will come sooner rather than later," Harry replied.

~*~*~*~

Harry and Draco arrived early at the Room of Requirement. At least, they had thought that they were arriving early. The meeting wasn't scheduled to begin until 5:00, but already at 4:30 the room was almost full. They stepped to the front of the room and found Hermione and Ron.

Hermione spoke up. "I had thought to come here to do a little research after my last class, but when I got here a little after 3:00, there were already people waiting out in the hallway. It just seemed practical to go ahead and open up the room and let everyone in. Students have been arriving steadily since then." 

She looked at Harry. "Dustin, I don't know exactly what you can tell everyone, but you do seem to realize that everyone is looking to you to make some sense out of the news from this morning. Do you have anything to tell them?"

Harry gave a little sigh and looked down at the floor briefly. Then he straightened up and squared his shoulders. He looked back to Hermione. "I don't have any more news to report than what everyone already knows from the Daily Prophet, but I've definitely got some things to say to the group today."

"Good," was all Hermione had to say before she went back to the book she had been reading before they arrived. Ron just looked at her and rolled his eyes. When did Hermione _not_ have a book she was reading? 

Draco pulled Harry over to the wall and slid gracefully to the floor before tugging Harry down with him. Harry sat between Draco's legs and leaned back against his chest. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry, but let his head fall back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. 

Harry was also staring at the ceiling. Anyone looking at the pair had to wonder what the two found so fascinating up there. In fact, a lot of people stopped to glance up themselves, but it was still just a plain old ceiling. But Harry and Draco just continued to stare at the ceiling like it had all the answers written out for them. If only that were true. 

Really, staring at the ceiling just seemed to provide a focus for them, rather than being caught up with the other people in the room. Both were lost in their own thoughts about what was going on. Despite being curious, everyone did leave them alone.

Harry was thinking about the Dursleys, if he had wanted to tell anyone. Which he didn't. But he was still thinking about them. It was difficult to wrap his mind around the fact that the people who had raised him, albeit badly, were actually dead. He felt like he should feel more. But the fact remained that he just didn't feel that badly about it. The more he thought about it, he realized that he was probably feeling about the same as he would if the same thing had happened to some family he didn't know at all. He felt bad because these people had been tortured to death, but that's about all there was to it. There was no reason really for mourning, since he had finally broken all ties to them the past summer. He probably felt better about their deaths than he would some unknown family. The Dursleys really had made Harry's life hell for so long.

The worst thing about it came back down to Voldemort and whatever his plans were. Harry could only hope that Lucius did have some information that would help. Harry may not have cared much overall that the Dursleys were now dead, but he sure wouldn't feel the same way if Voldemort got a hold of some of Harry's true friends and family. Harry was determined not to let that happen. 

Draco was thinking about Harry. He had a lot of respect for Harry and he knew that Harry was strong. But Draco was worried about how much pressure Harry could really take. Hell, it was Harry's family that was just killed the night before and yet Harry was the one who was going to stand up and give a pep talk to most of the students in just a bit. 

It seemed to Draco that maybe Harry's plan of being Dustin Snape hadn't been the best idea ever. Because now, Harry wasn't just dealing with the pressure of being Harry Potter, he was also trying to deal with the pressures of being Dustin Snape. How could Harry stay sane trying to live such a double life? He knew Harry had concerns about the dual life as it was. What was going to happen now?

Amazingly though, Harry seemed to be doing okay, overall. Draco decided that he would try to get Harry to talk about it later. Right now, it was about time to get this meeting started. 

Draco placed a kiss on Harry's neck. "Hey there, love, it's almost 5:00. Are you ready to do this?"

Harry turned and gave Draco a quick kiss. "I'll be fine, Draco. You know as well as I do how important this meeting is." He stood and gave Draco a hand up. He took a deep breath and muttered, "Let's get this show started."

As soon as Harry stepped up to the raised platform at the front of the room, everyone grew silent. "Thank you all for coming. I invited the teachers as well today. It just seemed like the right thing to do." He glanced around at all the people in the room. He blinked and looked around again. He shook his head, not believing what he was seeing. "Is everyone in the school here in this room?" he asked in disbelief.

He looked to Hermione. Somehow, he knew that she would know the answer to that question.

Sure enough, she did. "Ten minutes ago, I asked the prefects from each house to do a head count. In answer to your question, yes, all of the students are here, as well as all of the professors," she added. 

Harry stared at her in disbelief for a moment longer before turning back to face the rest of the students.

"Well, somehow I don't think my father could get this same kind of willing involvement for a class," he said with a grin. He looked to where his father was scowling at him and sent him a cheeky grin.

Everyone broke out into laughter and the tension was broken in the room. Listening to Dustin Snape was nowhere near the same as listening to Professor Snape.

Someone yelled out, "As long as you don't start assigning detentions, we're willing to stick around!"

Harry's grin grew wider as there was more laughter around the room. It was amazing to see every single student in the school intermingled together in one room like this—voluntarily and with a special purpose. 

"Don't worry. Luckily for you guys, I don't have the authority to give out detentions," he said. "Then again, I do have some group homework to assign," he said with a smirk.

The laughter all turned to groans and Harry grinned once again.

Finally, Harry grew sober and the room grew silent once again. "I'm glad you are all here. Obviously, you've all heard the news about what happened to Harry Potter's family last night. This can't be an easy situation for him to be in." He paused.

"I suppose the main reason you are here today, is because you are feeling like I am. I've been thinking all day and trying to figure out what I can do. Personally, I am willing to get myself involved in any way that I can if I can possibly be of help. I know that there are many of you who feel the same way. I'm sure that there are also many of you that would much prefer to stay out of the action as much as possible. Even if you want to be able to step back, by being here you seem to understand that we are all involved already, in one way or another."

He tried to make eye contact with as many people as possible. "Voldemort is a threat to all of us. It's clear that he wants Harry Potter above anyone else, but he threatens all witches and wizards. He's a menace to our way of life. No matter whether you want to step back or if you want to be in the middle of the fight, I believe that you can all help to protect yourselves and those around you." 

Harry paused again as he gazed at the people in front of him. "Who here wants to sit and do absolutely nothing if Voldemort or his followers were to waltz up to the school or to your front door when you are at home?" 

The silence in the room was absolute. Everyone seemed to stop breathing even. Harry continued, "You see, it doesn't matter if you don't want to get involved. Unfortunately, the bastards could show up anywhere, at any time. We just never know."

It was odd how often he talked about himself as if he was a separate person, but he did it anyway. “Harry Potter is supposed to be the Saviour of the Wizarding World. I know what some of you are thinking. Maybe we'll all get lucky and he'll just do away with the old madman for us. Hopefully he'll never come near us."

His eyes swept over the room. "Tell me honestly, by a show of hands," he said. "How many of you have thought to yourselves, at least once, that Harry Potter is going to just end this whole war and do away with Voldemort?"

Everyone, including Harry, raised their hands.

"Again, I ask by a show of hands, how many of you hope that the war will never come near you or your friends and family?"

Once again, everyone in the room raised their hands.

Harry looked around the room. "Now tell me, how many of you actually believe that Harry Potter can deal with Voldemort and all his Death Eaters by himself?"

This time, no one raised their hands.

"Okay, tell me this. Can we as students," Harry said, forgetting about the teachers at the back of the room, "help protect ourselves, our friends and our families to the best of our abilities?"

There wasn't a show of hands this time. Not as such anyway. There were plenty of hands punching the air, though, as the students cheered. Most shouted out their agreement.

Harry grinned once again and added his own shout, "Hell yeah!" 

As the room quieted, he spoke again. "Do you want to know what I just heard in this room a few moments ago?" he asked. Most people in the room looked confused by that question. Harry would swear, however, he could see Dumbledore's eyes twinkling all the way at the back of the room.

"I heard hope. If there is such a thing as a sound for hope, then that's what I just heard in this room." Many people were now nodding to themselves.

"I want you all to look around yourselves for a moment. Take a look at those who are your friends, and even those who aren't." Everyone was shuffling a bit and many were looking a bit self-conscious. 

"Now, I have one more question for you, before I go on. Think for a moment on this. Can you as individuals swear to do your best to protect whoever might be around you if an attack were to happen?" Now people were looking at the people around them again with a new sense of purpose. The self-consciousness was gone from the room as they were thinking about the people around them rather than themselves. 

Harry posed his question again, "So, yes or no, will you do your best to protect yourself as well as those around you?"

The answer was a resounding yes that echoed throughout the room. Harry grinned ear to ear when he realized that even the teachers had shouted out their answer.

"Okay, let's move on. Everyone has the will to protect themselves and others, now we need to learn how to go about that in a practical manner. For those of you who have already been attending the DA meetings please assemble in your groups. If you haven't been here before then, for a few minutes, please stand over there.” 

The DA was well trained and the team leaders quickly got their groups together and then waited patiently until everyone was ready. The whole process only took about thirty seconds for all the teams to get into place. The teams actually had to wait for the newcomers to get where they were supposed to be. 

Harry was proud of them. They had all trained to be quick and efficient. What amazed him, though, was that the students seemed to have forgotten that their actual professors were in the room with them. Either that or they were just ignoring them. In this room, it was obvious that Dustin Snape was the one in charge. 

"All right now, team leaders, I want you to each come forward and select . . . probably three or four of the newcomers," Harry said. "I'm sure you all remember that it doesn't much matter if you know them well or not," he stated more for the benefit of the newcomers than the people who had already been a part of the DA.

Each team leader went and grabbed a few of the new members of the DA and took them back to stand with their respective groups. There was no pushing, no arguing, nor much of anything besides quick efficiency by the team leaders. The newcomers seemed to be too dazed by the whole process to argue with anything and just followed along. 

Once everyone was in a group, Harry gave his next instructions. "At this point, you will have some time to explain things to your newest members. Be sure to fill them in on what your group's responsibilities are, as well as take note of what kind of skills they have coming into your group. You will need to determine what spells will need to be taught for them to catch up. You have fifteen minutes." And Harry left them to it. 

Harry turned to his own group of very select students. "Each of you go around the groups and see if you can help out some of the teams." They each moved off without question as Harry walked over to the group of professors, most of whom had not actually witnessed the DA in action before, and many had only heard a few titbits of information about it.

As Harry approached, he realized that most of the professors were looking at the students grouped around the room with a sense of awe. Harry glanced back at 'his' students grouped around the room and it finally hit him that every student in the school was in here and they were all working in earnest, and yet the room was still fairly quiet. Everyone was doing what they should be, he thought with a sense of pride. He turned back to face the Headmaster.

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling like mad, but Harry realized that even his father, who had heard Harry talk about the DA many times, was looking a bit amazed at the proceedings.

"So, what do you think, sir?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore smiled at him. "Well done, my boy. Well done, indeed."


	43. Chapter 43

Harry was curled up with Draco on a sofa in Dumbledore's office when Severus reappeared with Lucius. Once the pleasantries had been taken care of, it was time to get down to business.

"Lucius, I understand you have information to share with us?" Dumbledore questioned.

Lucius gave him a curt nod. "I was summoned late last night."

Something finally clicked in Harry's mind. "Were you at the Dursley's house? Did you kill them?"

If Lucius had been there . . . well, fine, but Harry wasn't sure how he would deal with that news. He knew even if Lucius had been involved, he really wouldn't be feeling any guilt for killing the Muggles. 

Lucius was shaking his head, however. "No, Bella led the attack on your relatives. I was in attendance, however, when he sent them. It would seem that the Dark Lord became aware that the protection wards around the residence had slipped."

Everyone looked to Dumbledore for an explanation. The old man nodded gravely. He gazed solemnly at Harry as he explained.

"Harry, from the time you were placed in their care, there have been protection wards surrounding the Dursley's home. They were wards that were directly tied to you and your blood," Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded his understanding. 

"Yes, well, those wards have been weakening for the last year. I suspect that when you removed the charms placed on you by your mother, the wards at the Dursley's were weakened further."

"So, they had no wards up, no protection?" Harry asked incredulously.

"There were wards protecting their residence, but they were not nearly as strong," Dumbledore clarified. "One of the main differences is that while you were in residence, Voldemort's followers could not access the property. I've spoken today with the Aurors doing the investigation and it would appear that the Death Eaters captured Mr. Dursley and had him lead them onto the property. The wards that would have prevented this have gradually weakened until they became non-existent. Unfortunately, I was not aware of this."

The room was silent for several moments as everyone processed this news. Harry wondered if his mum had had any idea how far reaching the effects of her charms would be. He was sure she hadn't planned on that being one of the consequences of her protection charms. 

As he thought about it, he tried to decide if his mum would have been mourning the death of her sister and her family if she'd been alive today. Harry snorted softly to himself when he realized that Petunia and Vernon certainly hadn't mourned Lily's and James' deaths.

Harry looked up to realize that all eyes were on him. Severus in particular was watching him intently. 

"Are you all right?" Severus questioned. "What were you thinking?" he asked after receiving Harry's simple nod.

Harry smirked lightly. "Just wondering if mum would have been mourning her sister's death or not, and finding it ironic that she indirectly played a part in it."

"I think she would have been feeling vindicated that she'd been able to do something to . . . repay Petunia for how she's treated you all these years," Severus said, with satisfaction coming through in his tone. 

Harry's eyes widened fractionally. "You’re disappointed not to have been called last night," he said, awareness dawning on him.

His eyes widened fully when not only Severus, but Lucius also nodded, both of them silently admitting that they would have been happy to participate in the Dursley's punishment.

"I will not apologize for the fact that I am pleased to see that they've got what they deserved for treating you so horribly all these years," Severus said. "I am only concerned with how you are taking this."

"I understand that you are prone to feeling guilt," Lucius added. "But there was nothing that could have been done. The Dark Lord gave us no warning and there was nothing that even I could have done at that point, particularly since I saw no need to break my cover for those worthless Muggles. Severus, and you yourself, have informed me of plenty that they've done over the years. They did not deserve my mercy."

Harry clamped his jaw shut as Draco's arms tightened around him in silent support. Harry wasn't quite sure how to take this. While he didn't think the Dursleys deserved death for their mistreatment of him, he also understood how Severus and Lucius could feel that way. 

He suddenly wondered if the only reason Severus hadn't taken any revenge was out of respect for Harry's feelings. Looking back up at his father while continuing to think, he realized his father was showing concern for him, but not a hint of regret that the Dursleys were gone. Lucius certainly wasn't showing any regret.

He shook his head to clear it again. "What happened last night?" he asked Lucius quietly. "Why weren't you sent?"

"The Dark Lord wished to apprise me of his special plans finally. As his right-hand man, I am privy to more information than the others. However, he also highly values Bella's abilities and trusted her to get that job done," Lucius explained.

Harry nodded his understanding. "So, what are his plans?"

"He wants you, Harry," Lucius said simply.

Harry waved his hand dismissively. "Everyone knows that."

Lucius nodded once in acknowledgement. "Yes, and until he has you, that is pretty much the only thing he is focusing on. As Severus and I have already both informed, he has remained quiet with his activities. The main thing he has been doing is recruiting new Death Eaters. Thankfully, he has not been recruiting from Hogwarts for once, though. Well, except for two students," Lucius said, smirking at Harry and Draco.

Both boys smirked back at him. They'd done their jobs well.

Lucius went on. "He has been attempting to slowly amass an army of marked followers. He is saving them until he can defeat you, and then he feels he can truly start taking over the Wizarding world."

"But what about Dumbledore?" Harry asked, bemused that Voldemort had no plans for him. 

"It is you first, Harry," Lucius said evenly. "Once you are gone, then much hope will be lost amongst the people. He seems to feel that it will then be easier to defeat Dumbledore. He has yet to learn the full prophecy, but he knows that you are a very real threat to his immortality."

"He has had the Muggles killed, hoping once again to draw you out. With the article in the Daily Prophet today, the Dark Lord has effectively cast doubt upon you again and struck fear into witches and wizards everywhere. His preference, of course, is for this to draw you out into the open again—immediately."

"And if it doesn't?" Harry asked in trepidation.

"Then he is planning to attack Hogsmeade on a weekend that many of the students will be there," Lucius finally admitted.

Harry dropped his head into his hands as they all stopped to think of the implications of that. 

"Voldemort only captured that Muggle family before because he's still been focused on getting to me. That's why he attempted to raid the Weasleys home, as well, but he mainly used minor followers," Harry said numbly. "It's not like he would have had a problem with the idea of attacking Hogsmeade before, but he's been trying to save his followers for when he can strike harder. By hiding though, I'm forcing his hand. He'll attack and surely knows that he'll be sacrificing many of his followers with the town so close to Hogwarts, and with all the extra Aurors and professors on duty on Hogsmeade weekends. But he's beginning to not care, because he's positive that if killing the Dursleys doesn't draw me out, then a direct attack on so many will, and then he can kill me."

"Exactly," was all Lucius said.

Dumbledore, Severus and Draco were all listening intently, but so far allowing Lucius and Harry to discuss this between them.

"So, you are the only one to know his plans so far?" Harry stated more than asked.

Lucius nodded in agreement. "Yes, I don't believe he will be informing anyone else until the day of the attack. He particularly does not want you three to know," indicating Harry, Draco and Severus. "His intention is to have me inform Severus immediately beforehand, and have us bring the two of you with us."

"Gods, the irony," Harry said. "He wants to bring in Dustin Snape to help put in an attack to flush out Harry Potter."

"Indeed," Lucius said, smirking at Harry. Harry looked at him askance for a moment. The man had been spending far too much time with Severus. Then again, Harry admitted to himself, he'd picked up a lot of habits from his father, too. Focus, he needed to focus.

Harry dropped his head to his hands again as his mind swirled. The others remained silent. They were very used to Harry dropping into these 'think modes' by now. Dumbledore had started to speak, but Severus indicated that he remain quiet.

Severus debated for a moment, before summoning a bottle of scotch. Dumbledore raised his brows, but didn't question him. Lucius conjured glasses and Severus poured. Once again, a glass of scotch was passed to Draco, who then got Harry's attention long enough for him to hand him the glass. Usually Harry would sip at one glass, but this was another one of those occasions where Harry downed it in one go.

Truthfully, the others were all thinking hard about the situation, but when it came down to it, Harry was the one who would have to face Voldemort. 

"I don't know what to do," Harry finally admitted, breaking the silence.

"Well, first of all, we call a meeting of the Order and start making preparations to meet an attack on Hogsmeade," Dumbledore said.

"I know that," Harry snapped impatiently, causing them all to start slightly. "Yeah, and in addition to that, I work with the DA and go over strategies that would help the students deal with a large-scale situation like that off Hogwarts grounds. We're prepared for an attack at Hogwarts, and the students could defend themselves fairly well outside school if it's a small attack, but something like this . . . well, we haven't prepared for it.”

"Everyone's worked hard," Draco said. "I think the students would handle themselves fairly well."

"The students would," Harry agreed thoughtfully. "But there's just far too much risk of other people getting hurt and killed who aren't prepared at all to defend themselves," he said. "We've got to stop Voldemort from attacking Hogsmeade in the first place."

"Harry," Severus started. "I'm not sure there is any way that we could actually prevent this. We can only prepare for it, to lessen any damages."

"No, there has to be something," Harry said. "It's me he wants."

"What are you going to do, then? Just waltz up to Voldemort looking like Harry Potter and say hi?" Draco asked sarcastically.

Harry only looked thoughtful at Draco's words, causing Draco to groan. "Angel, I was fucking kidding."

"I know you were," Harry said absently. 

"It is one thing for you to meet the Dark Lord looking like Dustin," Severus said waspishly. "It is quite another for you to waltz in looking like Harry."

"I know that, too," Harry answered, his voice indicating his thoughts were still elsewhere.

"You can't face him yet," Draco snapped. "We still have no fucking clue what the damn 'power the Dark Lord knows not' is."

Dumbledore addressed Harry. "I'm afraid, dear boy, that Draco is correct. You have trained hard and have the ability to fight, but we do not know the means in which you can defeat him."

"Believe it or not, I do know all this," Harry said. 

"Harry," Severus warned.

"What?" Harry snapped in irritation. 

Severus was glaring intently at Harry. "Until we know exactly how you can defeat him, I will not allow you to face him as Harry Potter."

"You won't allow me," Harry scoffed.

Snape's eyes narrowed and his voice dropped dangerously. "You are my son, first and foremost, and no, I will not allow it."

Harry could play this game. His expression and voice mimicked Severus' almost perfectly. "Unfortunately, you're wrong. First and foremost, I'm the fucking Saviour of the Wizarding World. I know it and you know it."

Severus' nostrils flared in anger, but Harry didn't give him a chance to respond. "I need to show up as Harry Potter somehow, and that's really all there is to it. I'm not about to risk everyone in Hogsmeade simply because you and I would both prefer me to remain in hiding."

Harry snapped his eyes to lock with Lucius'. "And if I understand correctly, my appearance will at least delay, if not prevent, the attack on Hogsmeade."

"That's correct," Lucius grudgingly admitted, tearing his gaze away from Harry to glance at Severus.

Harry sat back again, not exactly satisfied, but feeling that he'd made his point. Severus didn't look any less pleased, though. Harry didn't even dare turn his head to look at Draco. He knew from the fingers digging into his arm that Draco wasn't pleased with the way this was going, either.

"What do you want me to do, Father?" Harry asked seriously. "I may be a Slytherin, but I'm also a Gryffindor. There's no chance in hell that I'm just going to sit back and do nothing."

"He expects you to act like a damn Gryffindor," Severus sneered. "He expects you to just waltz out into the open because of this. Do you want to just walk into his trap as he expects you to?"

Harry face slowly transformed into a wicked grin. "Nope, don't plan to waltz in like a Gryffindor. Plan to slither in like a Slytherin."

Severus and both Malfoys arched an eyebrow. Dumbledore didn't look particularly surprised at Harry's pronouncement. Then again, the man was a Gryffindor with a talent for behaving like a Slytherin himself, at times. 

"When's Voldemort planning on calling the Death Eaters again?" Harry asked suddenly.

Lucius eyed him suspiciously, but answered the question. "Three days from now. He's hoping they'll be called there to witness your death," he said bluntly, causing the others to flinch, but Harry simply dismissed it with a wave of his hand. 

"Will he call you before then?" Harry asked, his mind swirling with sudden plans.

"No!" Severus cut in angrily.

Harry glared at his father briefly before looking back at Lucius expectantly. A brief sidelong glance at Severus showed his hesitation at answering Harry's question truthfully. But Lucius answered—with a curt nod.

Harry smirked in satisfaction. "Good, then I'm going with you."

"You are not going with Lucius!" Snape shouted.

Harry quirked an eyebrow at his father. "I need to have me a chat with a rat. Lucius would be able to get me in there," he said, ironically calm now in the face of Severus' anger. 

"Pray tell," Severus said silkily. "Tell me why you feel the need to sneak into the Dark Lord's lair to talk with Wormtail, of all people."

Harry gazed at him calmly. "Because Wormtail knows more about Voldemort and his plans than anyone else. I want to know what he knows."

"And you think he will tell you?" Lucius asked, his incredulousness showing.

Harry smirked. "I think it's about time I finally called in the life debt he owes me."

"He owes you a life debt?" Lucius asked, his astonishment not lessening.

Harry nodded at Lucius before turning to Dumbledore. "You did say it could come in handy someday."

Dumbledore eyes were twinkling, no big surprise to Harry. "Indeed I did, Harry."

"If I understand life debts correctly, I can call him on any information he knows that could help save my life," Harry questioned Dumbledore to be sure. Dumbledore nodded in acquiescence. "It's not necessarily a life for a life as people tend to think of it."

"Harry, you could be stuck there until the next meeting," Lucius pointed out. "You know that he closes the wards if it is only him and Wormtail. Apparating would be impossible, as would a Portkey. The only way to reach him is through the Mark. I would have no choice but to leave you there if you truly wished to find an opening to speak to Wormtail."

"I realize that," Harry said. "But knowing when he intends to call his followers again, I would not be there more than a couple days."

Harry finally turned slightly to face Draco. "Love, do you realize you are absolutely killing my arm?"

Draco glanced down at his hand, where he was once again digging his fingers into Harry's arm. He relaxed his grip slightly but when his eyes met Harry's again, Harry realized that the blond was still extremely angry.

"You cannot possibly be actually planning this," Draco said.

"What would you have me do otherwise?"

"Oh, I don't know. Stay here where it's safe?" Draco asked sarcastically.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because staying here where it's safe will do everyone a lot of good at solving this problem," he said, his voice dripping with as much sarcasm as Draco's had. 

Draco narrowed his eyes. "It's a hell of a lot better than you waltzing in, offering yourself to be killed."

"That's not what I'd be doing," Harry snapped in irritation.

"Oh, really? So, you explain it to me then, because that's exactly what it sounds like," Draco said dangerously.

"Yes, I'd really like to hear this explanation myself," Severus added, his tone clearly attempting to suppress the frustration and anger he was feeling towards Harry.

Harry sighed wearily. "I need information. I need to know how to be able to defeat Voldemort, not just hold my own against him in battle. I was there with Pettigrew when he helped bring Voldemort back to his body. I know Pettigrew knows a lot more about Voldemort than the rest of us, simply because he's always under his thumb. If Pettigrew could help bring him back to life, then maybe, just maybe, he knows how to help kill him—for good this time."

"Then we'll just capture Wormtail and torture him until he gives us the answers," Lucius suggested calmly.

Harry quirked a brow. "And tell me how you'll capture him?" he asked curiously.

Lucius was silent. 

"Father, any suggestions?" Harry asked, his tone innocent.

Severus also remained silent.

"Exactly," Harry said. "The only ones who ever see Wormtail are the Death Eaters. Yet even you can't get access to him because at any gathering he's right there with Voldemort. Often whimpering in the shadows behind him, but there with him regardless."

Severus and Lucius both snorted their amusement. Harry had given a very accurate description of Wormtail's behaviour every time they'd seen him.

Harry continued. "Wormtail's there for a reason, and it's not just because Voldemort wants to have a simpering servant waiting on him at all times. He knows too much for Voldemort to allow even his other followers access to him."

"I believe you are correct in your assessment," Severus admitted grudgingly.

"So, tell me then how you plan to get a hold of him?" Harry asked. "When is Wormtail ever away from Voldemort long enough for anyone to capture him? Particularly without arousing any suspicions for Voldemort's right hand man or his potions master?"

Harry left the questions up in the air, suspending the room in silence as they all contemplated Harry's words.

"Why you?" Draco finally asked plaintively. "Couldn't my father sneak Severus or somebody else in there to question Wormtail?"

"Because of the life debt," Severus spoke up wearily before Harry could answer. "Because Harry can likely have his chat with Wormtail and send Wormtail back to the Dark Lord without him being any the wiser. Harry could more easily extract the information without excessive measures, and then simply Obliviate him. It would also bring absolutely no suspicion onto either myself or Lucius. And if he goes looking like Harry Potter, then there's also no suspicion on Dustin Snape."

"Wouldn't Wormtail just give him away?" Draco asked.

"I do not believe he would," Dumbledore spoke up. "A life debt is a powerful link between two wizards. Without a direct order from Voldemort, I do not believe that he will harm Harry or turn him over to his master."

"And what if he orders him?" Draco snapped.

"For one, remember that I'd be Obliviating him after I talk to him. Besides that, Voldemort's not going to know I'm there in the first place, so there'd be no reason for him to order him to harm me," Harry retorted.

Draco whipped his gaze from Dumbledore back to Harry. "And what happens if Voldemort discovers you?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't intend to let him discover that fact, but if he does, then I guess I fight."

"This is by far the stupidest idea you've ever had!" Draco shouted.

"Probably," Harry agreed.

"Arg!!" Draco yelled in frustration. Draco turned to plead with their fathers. "One of you please talk him out of this stupid idea that's just going to get him killed.”

"I'm not sure that he should be talked out of it," Lucius said quietly.

Draco and Severus both glared daggers at him. "How could you possibly agree with him on this?" Severus asked Lucius.

Harry sat back a little to let Lucius try to convince them, thankful someone at least was understanding where he was coming from.

"We do not know what 'the power' is," Lucius said. "It is very possible that the Dark Lord knows what it is that could defeat him without realizing it, considering he knows nothing of the rest of the prophesy." 

Lucius shook his head slightly, seemingly in answer to his own thoughts. "If he does know, I do not believe that he would tell anyone, even his most trusted followers, such as myself. Particularly after everything that occurred when he was banished years ago. That is one thing that he would not entrust to any of us."

"But you think he would inform Wormtail?" Snape sneered.

"I believe it is possible," Lucius admitted smoothly. "Wormtail's behaviour is irritating and suspicious at the best of times. The more I reflect on it, the more I realize that his behaviour has been even more grating the last several weeks." 

Severus' brow furrowed as he obviously thought back to recent meetings. Eventually, he nodded slowly. "His behaviour is more suspect than normal," he admitted.

Lucius nodded in acknowledgement. "Now add that to the fact that the Dark Lord is stepping up his efforts in locating and defeating Harry Potter. He is willing to sacrifice many of his newly gained followers in an attack on Hogsmeade, knowing full well that help from the Light side would be swift in action, considering the proximity of Hogwarts, all in an attempt just to get to Harry."

"So, we're just going to send Harry directly to him?!" Draco exclaimed in outrage.

"I don't like this any more than you do," Severus snapped at him.

"Only someone bearing the Mark could get through the wards, right?" Harry asked, breaking into the current argument.

He received curt nods of agreement. "So, isn't there something I could use in an emergency to warn you to come get me if I was discovered by Voldemort?"

All three of the older men looked thoughtful.

"I mean, if Voldemort did discover me there, it's highly doubtful he'd kill me outright," Harry said, rolling his eyes. 

Draco's eyes were bugging. "What do you mean it's highly doubtful he'd kill you outright? He'll kill you on first sight!"

"I think Harry is probably correct on that one, actually," Lucius said. 

Harry smirked knowingly at Lucius, while the others were staring at the man with incredulity mixed with irritation. Lucius smirked back at Harry. "I happened to witness the latter events at the graveyard when the Dark Lord was first returned."

"Lucius, you're the only one here who's witnessed me in any kind of real battle situation with Voldemort, or gee, battle with yourself," Harry said wryly.

"It will be interesting to be on the same side as you this time around," Lucius smirked.

"It'll be a whole lot different this time around," Harry said.

"Oh, you won't be mouthing off at the Dark Lord this time?" Lucius asked in a conversational tone.

Harry looked affronted. "When I have to fight with him, I see no reason why I should watch my language or my attitude."

Lucius and Dumbledore were chuckling lightly along with Harry, but Severus and Draco weren't looking particularly happy with any of them.

Harry sighed, looking between his father and his boyfriend. "Voldemort won't kill me immediately. He'll want answers as to why I'm there, for one," he said. "While he was ranting and raving, I could just activate some warning signal of some kind. Whoever came to rescue me would be in danger at that point, though, and if it was either of the two of you who came," he said, indicating Severus and Lucius. "Your cover would be immediately blown."

"My cover as a spy or your life," Severus sneered at him, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I don't see a particular concern there."

"Then we only need to solve the problem of how I could warn you," Harry said pointedly, causing Severus to blink at him. Severus seemed to realize that Harry had taken his comments as agreement to Harry's plan.

"So, is there something we could use where I could contact you quickly and easily?" Harry asked, while Severus was still processing his supposed agreement and whether he wanted to argue it or not.

"I think I have just the thing," Dumbledore said, going to a side cupboard and muttering the unlocking charms placed on it. Sitting back at his desk, he had the interest of all of them. Dumbledore held out his hands palm up.

"Wicked," Harry breathed, leaning forward. Draco was echoing his actions beside him. 

"What are they exactly?" Draco breathed.

In one palm lay two tiny silver snakes, and in the other lay two longer, but still small silver snakes. Small emeralds glowed for the eyes, with intricate detailing which made them look extremely realistic, and all of them matched. Looking at them, Harry thought they were an interesting representation of Slytherin snakes. 

"When worn, they will allow the four of you to communicate slightly from wherever you may be," Dumbledore explained. "Perhaps it will be easier to demonstrate them." He gestured for Harry and Draco to step forward. 

They watched wide-eyed as Dumbledore placed one of the slightly longer snakes on each of their left wrists. With softly uttered spells, the snakes slithered around their wrists until the mouths of the snakes had captured the tails, completing the circle. Another spell, a soft glow, and it was done.

Stepping back, they watched as Dumbledore performed the same spells on the other two snakes for their fathers, only they formed rings rather than bracelets. 

"Now, for a demonstration," Dumbledore said once they were done. "This will work for all of you, but I think under the circumstances we will verify that it works if Harry attempts to send a message."

Harry just looked at him questioningly. He hadn't the foggiest clue as to what he was supposed to do, or how this was supposed to work in the first place.

Following Dumbledore's directions, Harry touched his bracelet and muttered the word " _Salvus_ ," and watched as Draco's eyes widened once again as the snake wrapped around his own wrist pulsed lightly.

Harry grinned to see the snakes in action. Looking to his father, Severus smiled slightly and nodded. His ring had pulsed lightly as well. 

"And if he is in danger of any kind?" Severus asked.

Given a new command word, Harry shrugged before touching his bracelet lightly. " _Invoco_ ," he said softly. All three of the others winced when the snake jewellery heated up to an unpleasant temperature almost immediately. It wasn't quite hot enough to burn, but almost. It was certainly unmistakable. 

Harry stared wide-eyed at their reactions. "Wow," he breathed. "Guess it won't be a problem letting you know if I'm in trouble anymore."

"Indeed," Severus said wryly. 

"What if he's unconscious or injured too badly to touch the bracelet and say the command?" Draco demanded.

"They will turn an icy cold if Harry is seriously injured or if he is rendered unconscious," Dumbledore explained. "There are also other protection charms and locator spells embedded within the jewellery," he added. "They all work the same as Harry's, and they link the four of you, as I've already said."

"These are brilliant, Albus," Harry said with a wide grin. "Thank you."

The others expressed their thanks as well.

"You're welcome, all of you," Dumbledore said kindly. "I sincerely hope it helps to keep you all safe in your endeavours." Then he sighed wearily. "Perhaps we need to return to our earlier discussion."

"Angel?" Draco said, getting Harry's attention.

"What?" Harry answered warily, now that Draco had been reminded of the reason for their new bracelets.

"Are you really serious about doing this?"

"Yes," Harry said. "I need to be able to get to Pettigrew and find out what he knows, if anything."

Draco was quiet for several long moments. "Then this bracelet best be pulsing often, letting me know that you're all right," he said, his tone resigned and almost fierce at the same time.

"I second that," Severus spoke harshly. "And if you are in any danger whatsoever, you must swear that you will activate the snakes immediately."

"I will," Harry agreed solemnly.

"Now, the question is, what do you intend to do about coming out of hiding to Voldemort?" Lucius asked.

"I suppose winging it based on what I learn from Pettigrew isn't the answer you want to hear?" Harry questioned, knowing it would not go over well. As expected, he was on the receiving end of death glares from three Slytherins.

"I thought you had got past that kind of behaviour," Severus sneered at him. 

Harry was getting tired of being on the receiving end of so many of his father's sneers and glares again. "Well, what do you want me to say?" he snapped irritably. "If Pettigrew gives me some means I could use immediately to off the bastard, then I fully intend to take advantage of it. If not, then I hang out in Voldemort's lair until he summons you. After that, I have no fucking clue as to how to handle it. I just know that I need to confront him in some way so he's not attacking Hogsmeade."

"Perhaps it is time for you and Severus to show your hand," Lucius drawled.

Heads swivelled to Lucius in surprise. "Explain," Severus bit out.


	44. Chapter 44

"Harry, it's time." The sound of Lucius' voice woke Harry quickly. He'd been asleep, but it had been a very light, restless sleep. With a soft _pop_ , Lucius was gone again as Harry threw back the blankets.

Harry actually looked like Harry today—the Harry that the Wizarding world knew. He quickly dressed in the clothes he'd laid out before lying down. He donned a pair of blue jeans and a simple white t-shirt, loose rather than snug fitting like he'd become used to. He threw a red with gold trim jumper over the top that practically screamed Gryffindor. 

The clothes looked good on him and they were a far cry from the Dudley hand me downs that he'd always worn, but he was already missing his Dustin clothes and appearance. He glanced ruefully in one of the many mirrors in the room as he pulled on his trainers. He'd got used to his Slytherin bad boy appearance rather than this clean-cut Gryffindor appearance.

Then again, his feeling of being uncomfortable could also have something to do with the fact that he was currently residing in Draco's bedroom at Malfoy Manor. It was the epitome of a Slytherin room, and a Gryffindor did not belong there.

It had been very late the night before when they'd finally concluded their meeting. Harry and Lucius had spent the rest of the night with Draco and Severus, then, as the other two went to classes, Lucius and Harry had disappeared from Hogwarts and Apparated to Malfoy Manor. 

Neither Draco nor Severus had been particularly happy with either of them. Before gathering his things, Harry touched his hand to his bracelet, sending the message to them that he was safe and sound. It was going to be a lot quicker to Apparate from Malfoy Manor than it was from Hogwarts. Severus was often late when summoned, but Lucius was not.

Lucius had ordered Harry to lie down and rest while he still could, but it felt distinctly odd to be in Malfoy Manor. So much had changed from the year before. In his wildest dreams, he hadn't imagined going willingly to Malfoy Manor and being happy to snuggle down into the luxurious warmth of Draco's bed.

Unfortunately, Draco hadn't been in it at the time. Aside from the stress of the whole situation, it hadn't felt right being in Draco's bed for the first time, and Draco wasn't even there. He was very used to sleeping with the blond Slytherin.

Harry sighed as he finished pocketing Portkeys and potion vials that his father had insisted he take. He had to agree with Draco—this had to be the stupidest idea he'd ever had. But barely two minutes after he'd woke him, Lucius was back.

"Ready, Harry?" Lucius asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Harry said, swinging his invisibility cloak around his body and saying the quick spell he'd been taught to keep it closed and keep it from slipping off his body. He grabbed Lucius' arm, and then they were gone.

~*~*~*~

Harry was bored—tense, but bored.

Lucius had Apparated them into the Dark Lord's lair and Harry had eased off to the side of the room so he wouldn't be detected. He'd listened along with Lucius as Voldemort went over the same plans Lucius had told them about the night before. 

Voldemort was nothing if not repetitive. He could rant and rave about the same things repeatedly and never seem to tire of it. Harry listened as his name was cursed, his very existence was cursed, his luck was cursed, and on and on. 

Harry had to wonder why the hell Lucius hadn't switched sides long ago if this was what he had to listen to all the time. Voldemort really was a raving lunatic.

Harry didn't learn anything new. Mainly Lucius had to report that no word had yet arisen regarding Harry Potter's disappearance. He'd heard a lot of speculation about the boy at the Ministry, but no indications of where he'd disappeared, or that he'd reappeared yet. 

Voldemort had been quite pleased, though, to learn that people seemed to be more afraid and that much speculation had arisen about Harry Potter’s location. People were becoming angry and afraid because their hero was still hiding. Harry was a bit sickened by that news, but it didn't surprise him. Voldemort, on the other hand, was downright ecstatic with the news.

It was probably why Lucius had managed to get away without being _Crucio_ -ed. Lucius was sent back to keep an eye on the Ministry, and Harry was left alone with Voldemort and Wormtail. He'd heard Voldemort close down the wards that kept him hidden and protected.

Now, Harry was bored. He'd carefully sat down, leaning against the stone wall, when Lucius was still in the room. That was all he could do, since Voldemort had lapsed into a contemplative silence.

Harry eased his wrist up and pressed the bracelet to his lips. " _Salvus_ ," he said, the word barely more than a breath. Draco had made him test the bracelets over and over again, and Harry knew that the matching bracelet and rings would be pulsing, signalling that he was fine.

Lucius may not have been showing it, but Harry knew the man would be concerned, considering he'd just left him there with Voldemort. Before he'd left, Harry had signalled him as well, indicating that he was fine and ready to be left there.

Harry smiled when his bracelet pulsed gently in return. He knew it had been Lucius answering him this time. One thing they'd learned was that the pulses and sensations were subtly different depending on who was sending the message.

The next couple of hours were spent simply watching Voldemort. Harry snorted inwardly as he realized that was what Wormtail obviously did much of the time. The man was hovering off to the side, simply waiting for Voldemort's next command. Wormtail, too, remained completely silent. Harry was sure he'd learned his lesson in making any noise while Voldemort was lost in thought.

Harry froze when Voldemort suddenly broke the silence. He commanded Wormtail to bring him a meal. Wormtail scuttled away to the kitchens and Voldemort left the room as well.

Harry was torn as to what he should do. He didn't dare approach Wormtail yet. That would be left for that night, hopefully. Harry wanted to see what Voldemort was up to, but wasn't sure if he dared to move. He'd been sitting there so long already, and now was afraid to get up again.

He gradually pushed himself up off the floor until he was standing again. Slowly inching out into the hallway, he looked both ways, trying to determine where to go. He'd taken a long time getting that far, and he saw Wormtail emerge then disappear again through a doorway further down the hall. 

Hugging the wall, Harry made his way, tiptoeing until he was standing just opposite the doorway. He couldn't see the entire room from where he was standing, but immediately he recognized it as a study or a library. 

Slipping silently inside when he heard both voices talking on the far side of the room, Harry swiftly moved to the back wall. He did not want to accidentally run into Wormtail in the doorway.

Harry could only stare open mouthed as he caught a good look at the situation. Harry couldn't say that he'd ever thought about Voldemort casually sharing tea and biscuits with his simpering servant. Yet, there they were.

Harry felt the bile rising in his throat as he realized the scene in front of him seemed eerily reminiscent of scenes he'd been a part of in Dumbledore's office. This was clearly Voldemort's office, as he was sitting behind a huge desk. Wormtail was squirming uncomfortably in a chair in front of the desk, teacup rattling lightly in the saucer as he picked it up.

Harry had learned that he had been a pawn for Dumbledore, but that fact had never hit him as hard as it was at that moment. He swallowed hard, attempting to force the nausea down.

He had to remind himself that he wasn't like Wormtail. He'd taken charge of his life and was making his own decisions now. In fact, he wouldn't be where he was currently if he was still allowing Dumbledore to dictate his actions. And for all his faults, Dumbledore was not evil and cruel like Voldemort. Dumbledore meant well—Voldemort only wished to kill Harry. 

Giving himself a firm, mental head shake, Harry focused on Voldemort and Wormtail again. Not that they were saying anything new or important. Until . . .

Harry watched closely as Voldemort muttered a series of complicated spells, unlocking and opening a panel on the wall behind his desk. He removed a thin, tattered book that appeared to be very, very old. He sat back down, his beady snake eyes flaring maliciously at the sight of the book in front of him.

"M-master, you are tr-trying again?" Wormtail stuttered. "B-but you have tr-tried everything already."

Those red eyes narrowed on Wormtail. "You dare to question me?"

"No, no, master!" Wormtail pleaded. Too late. Maybe Wormtail never learned after all. Harry wasn't surprised when Voldemort calmly pulled his wand and cast _Crucio_. Wormtail's screams rang out as he fell to the floor, his body writhing in agony. 

Harry smirked in satisfaction as he watched him. He had no problem whatsoever with the idea of Wormtail being tortured, no matter who was the one doing the torturing. 

"Wormtail, leave me," Voldemort commanded.

"Y-yes, m-master," Wormtail managed say as he got to his feet and stumbled out the door.

Harry only debated for a moment as to whether to follow him or not. He wanted to know what the hell Voldemort had. He could deal with Wormtail later.

So, Harry stayed and observed Voldemort, his confusion growing the longer he watched. After simply staring at the book for a long time, he began flipping through the pages. That wasn't confusing to Harry. What was confusing, though, was when Voldemort began casting spell after spell at the book. 

Harry recognized a couple of revealing spells, but didn't know the other spells that Voldemort was casting. He cast them on the book with its cover closed. He cast them with the book opened. He cast the spells on different pages. 

And Voldemort became angrier as each spell obviously failed. It wasn't long before he was casting expletives at the book as much as he was casting revealing spells.

Harry watched in amazement as Voldemort's frustration and anger mounted. Voldemort was cursing that book as much as he'd cursed Harry Potter earlier in the day. Harry desperately wanted to know what was in that book. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to find out right now. 

Eventually, Voldemort set his wand down and was back to staring at the book, albeit with more anger and frustration than he'd been staring at it earlier. 

With Voldemort's renewed calm, Harry became more aware of the fact that he was stiff and uncomfortable from remaining in one position for so long. He didn't dare move, though. The room was large, but still small enough that any small sound he might accidentally make would carry all too well directly to Voldemort.

So, Harry remained where he was, body stiff and unmoving, even as his mind whirled, attempting to discover the meaning of that tattered old book.

Eventually, Voldemort moved to lock the book back into its hiding place and Harry used the opportunity to slip silently from the room. He made his way back to the huge throne room to bide his time, not sure of where else to go. This was the room Voldemort used to meet his followers, so it seemed the likely place to go to hide since Voldemort wasn't meeting with any of them at the moment.

Slipping down to sit on the floor in the far corner of the room and making himself as comfortable as he could under the circumstances, Harry tried to gather his thoughts. But first he touched his bracelet to his lips. "Draco, _Salvus_ ," he breathed, sending the message only to Draco's matching bracelet. Harry highly appreciated the returned pulse from Draco. He knew Draco had to be worried out of his mind about him. Knowing the others were worried as well, Harry also sent a pulse to Severus and Lucius, before letting his mind wander back to his current situation.

So far so good, since he hadn't been detected. He'd learned something important even if he didn't understand exactly what it was yet. And so far he hadn't even got a chance to track down Wormtail. 

Harry snorted inwardly as he thought about the fact that it might be a little easier than he'd first thought. If Voldemort did normal things like drink tea and eat biscuits, then surely he must do something normal like sleep. He had never thought about it before, but if he had, he wouldn't have considered Voldemort doing such normal human activities. Hopefully it would make it easier to get to Wormtail in the middle of the night as they slept. 

Eventually, Harry lay down on the cold stone floor to doze lightly, making sure Suziana was awake to keep watch.

~*~*~*~

Harry woke to Suziana hissing directly in his ear.

“The humans are asleep. This snake has just returned from outside where it had been hunting.”

He popped his eyes open and immediately registered Nagini slithering into the room. 

_Fuck!_

At least Nagini shouldn't be hungry, he thought with some relief, but his heart began beating even faster when Nagini spoke.

“I smell another snake.”

Severus had given Harry a potion to mask his own smell, but they hadn't been able to do the same for Suziana.

Harry hadn't been overly worried about confronting Wormtail. Nagini was another matter entirely. Truth be told, he'd hoped to avoid her. Now, it was clearly going to be some fast-talking with a huge snake. He shook his head at the oddities of his life. He could only be thankful she'd discovered him when her master wasn't around, or she would have immediately given him away.

“Hello, Nagini. Will you hear me out if I show myself? I do not wish to hurt you.”

Harry slowly pulled away the invisibility cloak, revealing himself. If a snake could show shock, Nagini was doing it now. Her head reared back and she coiled tightly in her surprise.

“Harry Potter.”

“Yes, and Suziana is the one you smelled.”

Harry answered simply, waiting to see how she would react. He really didn't want to have to harm her if he didn't have to. 

“Greetings.” Suziana added her own acknowledgment to the huge snake, lifting her head off Harry's shoulder.

“You are sure both Wormtail and Voldemort are asleep, Suziana?”

“Yes, master. I checked while you were resting.”

Harry twisted his head to glare at his silver snake, while keeping Nagini within view. “You were supposed to stay with me and stand guard.”

“If they were asleep, then there was no reason to stand guard. And I did come back to warn you Nagini was coming.”

Harry glared at Suziana for a moment longer before training his gaze fully on Nagini once again.

He brought his wrist to his lips, sending a quick pulse to the others, while he waited. He wasn't sure how long he'd dozed on the floor. And if he was honest with himself, he could use a little reassurance right at the moment. He smiled inwardly at the quick succession of returning pulses. He wondered how long he'd been out if Severus, Draco and Lucius all immediately responded.

His right hand was gripped tightly around his wand. If Nagini wanted to cause trouble, then he was fully prepared to deal with her. He just didn't want to, considering the repercussions that would follow. Finally, Nagini spoke again.

“You are here to kill my master?”

Harry slowly shook his head. He answered her honestly, curious as to how she would respond. “I'm not here to kill him right now, but I will eventually, and I'm afraid I will kill you if you get in my way. But as I've said, I don't wish to hurt you if I don't have to. I'm only here for information.”

He may not have been a snake like Nagini, but his body was wound just as tightly as hers. He waited tensely as she lapsed into silence again for another minute.

“My master is afraid of you, although he admits it to only me. He worries that you can truly vanquish him, and you are the only one he fears now.”

Now it was Harry who was rearing back in shock, as he listened to Nagini's quiet hissing.

“It would seem that you are a very powerful wizard, Harry Potter—or that you will be as you gain more knowledge. My master is becoming more and more concerned about what you are learning while you've been hidden away. He is not the same as he used to be. His only real concern is to kill you.”

Suziana broke into the conversation. “Your master is not treating you well?”

Harry flicked his eyes briefly to Suziana in surprise. She seemed to be picking up something that he wasn't.

“He does not need me for my venom any longer, so I am not as important. He still finds me useful for dealing with certain victims, however.”

What did that mean exactly? Harry was confused, but Suziana seemed to understand, and continued to speak to Nagini.

“A good master should always take care of you, no matter your usefulness.”

“Your master treats you well?”

“Always. He is a very kind master and would treat you well, also.”

Harry listened intently to the conversation between the two snakes. If he wasn't mistaken, Suziana was helping him turn Nagini into an ally. He was truly getting more than he'd planned on with this little infiltration into the enemy's lair.

“Harry Potter, no one doubts your loyalty once you've given it to them. Even my master recognizes your loyalty and is relying on it to bring you out of hiding, where he hopes to then kill you before you can gain the knowledge to vanquish him. I wish for you to bestow your loyalty upon me, because I believe you will treat me well no matter my usefulness, and in return I will be loyal only to you. I wish for you to be my new master.”

Harry stared at the gigantic snake. So much for fast talking, because right now he didn't feel capable of uttering even a single word—in any language. In his silence, Nagini continued to plead her case.

“You are the only other wizard that is able to speak my tongue. My one wish is that when you defeat him, you could find me a place to hunt and live without fear of harm from humans.”

The thought flittered through Harry's mind that if the Forbidden Forest was large enough for Acromantulas and giants, then it should be big enough for a huge snake as well. With an odd, hysterical laugh sounding through his head, he decided he shouldn't be looking a gift snake in the mouth.

“Nagini, I need you to keep up appearances here, but if you will truly fight with me rather than against me, then I will do my best to take you to a safe place when this is over.”

“Yes, Master, I agree to that.”

Harry startled at hearing her calling him master. He didn't know if he could truly trust this snake, but it seemed like a start.

“Can you tell me anything you know about Voldemort that might be useful to me? In particular, do you know what that book is that he's got hidden?”

“I can, and will, tell you many things about my old master. But I do not know much about the book. He guards it very carefully, and does not discuss it much, even with me.”

“But where did it come from? Why is it so important?”

“I helped him retrieve the book many moons ago from a cavern deep underground. He had me searching for many, many days in the underground tunnels and caves until I located that book and brought it back to him. I know that he was extremely pleased when I first found it, but now it only angers him. He has proclaimed that if only he could read it, it would guarantee him his ability to rule the entire world. And because he is fearful of the knowledge falling into another's hands, he has spoken of it to no one.”

Harry's brow was furrowed as he tried to understand what Nagini was telling him.

“Does Wormtail know anything about it? I saw him there earlier when Voldemort had the book out.”

“I do not think he knows much more than I, but you may ask him. I know that he has grown more fearful over the last months, as I have. He may know more.”

“I intend to ask him. I actually came here to be able to talk to him. For now, I'd like to hear more of what you have to tell me.”

Over the next couple of hours, Harry listened and questioned Nagini on any knowledge she had regarding Voldemort and his followers. With all the information she was giving him, Harry was left with very little doubt that she was truly on his side now. Some of it he could verify simply from things Severus or Lucius had told him, and even the meetings that he himself had been a part of as Dustin Snape. Seeing as she didn't know that he knew these things, it helped verify that she was telling the truth.

As the night wore on, Harry began working through different scenarios and strategy sessions with her, along with a little input from Suziana. He absolutely refused to dwell on the oddity of discussing battle strategy with two snakes in the middle of the night in the Dark Lord's lair. He simply continued on, periodically touching the small snake made of silver on his wrist to reassure the others that he was as safe as he could be.

~*~*~*~

Unfortunately, Harry still hadn't got to Wormtail before both him and Voldemort were awake and going about their day. Suziana and Nagini had both given the warning well ahead of time and Harry was safely ensconced under the invisibility cloak once again. Nagini coiled in front of the huge fireplace in the throne room after Wormtail came in and got the fire blazing again.

Harry was appreciative of the warmth as well. He only wished that he had some food, or at least something to drink. Ironically, he had the Dursleys to thank for helping to push those needs aside for the time being. He'd only been stuck in here since the afternoon the day before, and he'd certainly gone much longer than that without food. 

He spent much of the day leaning up against Nagini in front of the fireplace, with Suziana wrapped safely around his neck again. He dozed in spits and spurts, still far from comfortable with the situation he'd put himself in. He also didn't completely trust Nagini. He'd been afraid when he'd seen through the eyes of this exact same snake as it attacked Arthur Weasley the year before. Now, here he was resting comfortably against her.

Periodically, he would send a pulse to Draco, Severus and Lucius, letting them know he was still all right. His mission was successful so far, but he still desperately wished he was back home at Hogwarts. He'd settle for being back at Malfoy Manor, particularly if it meant he could sleep in Draco's bed again. Snape Manor was technically home now, but that seemed so far removed that he couldn't quite wrap his mind around that. He wanted Draco. He wanted his father. He was pretty sure he could even coax Lucius to give him a reassuring hug, under the circumstances. 

He thought about going out to explore the building a little, but was afraid he'd just get himself caught. He'd already put himself at enough risk as it was, and he'd be taking more risks soon enough. So, lying low for the day, he alternately continued to doze and strategize.

Suziana came back later that night to tell him that both Voldemort and Wormtail had retired for the night and were both asleep. It was time to finally talk to Pettigrew. 

Harry silently followed Suziana as she led him to Wormtail's bedroom. Pausing to pick up Suziana and allow her to settle around his neck, he slipped into the dark room. Eyes already adjusted after the darkness of the hallway, he quickly saw the form lying on the bed in the corner. Muttering silencing charms first, both on the room and Pettigrew, swiftly followed by a modified binding charm, Harry then cast the spell to light the sconces on the wall nearest the bed, illuminating his captive.

He was thoroughly enjoying the look of wide-eyed panic on Pettigrew's face. The watery eyes grew impossibly wider as they took in Harry's smirking appearance as the invisibility cloak fell away.

"Hello, Peter," Harry said conversationally. "We meet again."

The binding spell Harry put on him allowed Pettigrew to move his head, but nothing else. Peter's head was currently shaking vigorously back in forth in denial. 

Harry smirked at him knowingly. "Finding it impossible for me to be in your room, considering that no one can get in here? Or especially considering that no one's been able to find me for months, and then I turn up here?"

Pettigrew grew still as true terror took hold.

"Much as I'd like to see you dead, I'm not here to kill you," Harry said, his tone soothing in direct contrast to his words. "But you should have at least a little faith that I won't kill you. After all, you owe me a life debt precisely because I wouldn't allow Remus and Sirius to kill you before."

His tone grew angry. "Of course, if I hadn't saved your worthless hide then, we wouldn't likely be dealing with Voldemort now, would we? If nothing else, maybe I would've had more time to grow up and prepare before having to deal with him. You've been quite determined to rid me of my childhood. Well, surprise to you, Peter," Harry spat maliciously, causing Pettigrew to flinch nicely. The thought passed through Harry's mind that he finally understood the satisfaction Draco and Severus had always got from spitting out the name Potter.

"See, despite all your efforts, I've grown up. I've learned a few things since I was a baby and I've learned a few things since the last couple of times we've met. Unfortunately, there's still more I need to learn and that happens to be why I'm here to talk to you," he said, his tone moderated once again. 

"You happen to owe me a life debt and I think you may know some things that could help save my life. I'm now calling you on that debt you owe me," he said. "Allow me just a few minutes, then we'll sit down and have us a nice chat."

Harry disappeared into the bathroom, freshening up a little. Returning to the outer room with a glass of water, he pulled a nearby chair closer to the bed and sat down comfortably. 

"Now, are you ready to talk?" he asked, his conversational tone returning.

Pettigrew slowly nodded his head. Harry lifted his wand and dropped the silencing charm he'd placed on the man still bound to the bed.

"H-how d-did you get in h-here?" Pettigrew managed to stutter out in his terror.

Harry waved his hand dismissively. "That's not important. I find it much more important to find out what you know about that book Voldemort's so interested in."

"H-how can you know about th-that?" Pettigrew asked in astonishment. "N-no one knows."

Harry shrugged casually. "That's not important either." He twirled his wand through his fingers. "I think it's time you started answering my questions. What do you know about that book?"

Pettigrew gulped as he eyed Harry's wand fearfully. "I don't know m-much."

"What _do_ you know?" Harry asked impatiently.

"He brought it back several months ago. I don't know where he got it from and I don't know what it is. I can't read it. H-he's angry because h-he can't read it either," Pettigrew said.

Harry frowned. "Why can't he read it?"

"I don't know," Pettigrew said, flinching back as if expecting a blow from that answer. 

Harry snorted. Voldemort would have struck him down for not knowing. Tempting as it was, Harry wasn't going to. He wanted answers more.

"Why is the book so important?"

"I don't exactly know that either," Pettigrew said, flinching once again. He went on quickly. "B-but I know that he's afraid of letting anyone know that it exists. I'm not sure wh-why, b-but he seems to think it will make him the greatest wizard ever. He also seems to think in someone else's hands that it will be his downfall."

Harry's eyes gleamed maliciously at those words. He was more determined than ever to get his hands on that tattered book.

Then he frowned again. "Why has he told you about it, when he hasn't told anyone else?"

"B-because I'm not allowed near anyone else—ever. H-he needs me to keep researching revealing spells, or any kind of spells that could possibly unlock the words on the pages.”

"Do you know how to get to the book where it's hidden? What the spells or password is?" Harry asked.

Pettigrew slowly nodded and described for Harry how to get to the book. Harry listened closely and asked questions until he understood exactly what he needed to know to get into Voldemort's secret hiding place.

Harry drilled Pettigrew for another hour, but he didn't seem to have anything more useful to say that Harry didn't already know. Harry snorted when he realized that, ironically, Pettigrew was confirming the information that Nagini had told him the night before. 

He trusted the snake far more than he trusted the rat. Harry put the chair and glass back into place, making sure he left no signs that he'd ever been there, ignoring all of Pettigrew's pleading. After donning his cloak and spelling it into place once again, Harry turned back to Pettigrew.

"Wh-what are you going to d-do now?" Pettigrew asked fearfully.

"I'm going to _Obliviate_ you," Harry said calmly. "I can't trust you to not alert Voldemort to my presence here."

"Wait!" Pettigrew pleaded. "I just wanted to say—I'm sorry—for everything," he said quietly, for once not stuttering.

Harry looked at him with pity, knowing the man couldn't see him. Pettigrew really had got himself into a tight fix. One Harry wasn't about to help get him out of.

With a powerful _Obliviate_ , followed swiftly by a sleep spell that would wear off shortly, Harry slipped back out of the room.


	45. Chapter 45

From the moment Voldemort took down the extra wards and used Wormtail to summon the other followers, Harry was slipping outside to go meet his father and Lucius. He was highly sick of being in there, but he was about to turn around and go right back in. Only this time, he would be going in looking like Dustin Snape. 

As he almost expected, Lucius got to their designated meeting spot first. Harry wasn't sure if the man was surprised or not, but Harry gave him a quick hug regardless, and the man hugged him in return. He still surprised himself sometimes when he considered the fact that he now saw Lucius as a friendly face.

Lucius quickly gave Harry a set of robes to put on and started undoing the charms that made him look like the old Harry Potter. 

"Father!" Harry exclaimed quietly and wrapped his arms tightly around his father when he appeared. Severus was hugging him just as tightly. They only allowed a couple of moments before Harry pulled back. He had already put in his contacts, masking his green eyes, and Severus only needed to add the charm to hide Harry's scar to transform him back into Dustin.

"Successful?" Lucius asked, as Severus shrunk Harry's invisibility cloak and stuffed it away in one of the pockets of his voluminous robes.

Harry smirked at them both. "Oh, yes," he said slyly. "Um, whatever else happens, just leave Nagini alone," he said, as they started walking back the way he had just come from a few minutes earlier.

Both men quirked eyebrows at him in surprise. Harry flashed them a wicked grin. "Been more successful than I ever expected."

Much as they wanted to question him, they didn't have the opportunity as they grew closer and more Death Eaters were Apparating in around them. Harry had spent most the last three days in this place, and felt pretty comfortable waltzing back in, all things considered.

As he'd done previously, Harry waited in his position between Lucius and Severus. Only thing different was that Draco wasn't here as backup. Ironically, Harry could use even more backup this time.

Draco, however, was their backup back at Hogwarts. If anything went gravely wrong, then either Harry, Severus, or Lucius would hopefully be able to contact Draco through the bracelet he was wearing. Draco would be able to alert Dumbledore and the Order and bring help. 

Harry hoped it didn't come down to that, though. Especially not now. With just a little more time, he was certain he'd be able to finally vanquish Voldemort, and he didn't want to bring anyone into further danger if he could help it. And fighting in the Dark Lord's lair definitely constituted further danger. 

As he waited, Harry idly wondered once again if he could successfully lure many of the Death Eaters back to Hogwarts where everyone was prepared to fight them. The Death Eaters sure didn't know that they'd essentially be walking into a trap. If any of the students were seriously harmed, Harry would regret it until the day he died, which hopefully wouldn't be any time soon, but overall, he felt confident of the students' abilities. They'd prepared for an attack like the one he was seriously considering instigating. And if they were successful, they could take down the majority of the Death Eaters.

He started to fill with more nervous energy as the room, now full of Death Eaters, began to quiet down. He was truly wishing he'd had more of a chance to talk to his father and Lucius, but there'd been no time for him to try to explain everything that he'd learned.

Voldemort glided into the room from a side door, Wormtail trailing behind him. Harry was pleased to see Nagini slithering into the room, and grateful Suziana was once again hidden beneath his robes.

Red eyes widened upon seeing him among the ranks. "Young Dustin, I am surprised to see you with us tonight," Voldemort said warmly, if his voice could ever be considered warm in any way. 

Harry tipped his head forward in acknowledgement. As expected, Voldemort asked him to come forward, and he was extremely thankful this was the last time he'd ever have to do this. Stepping in front of Voldemort, he gracefully slid to his knees before bowing and kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes, then sitting back on his heels, head lowered and hands resting lightly on his thighs. 

He wondered at the fact that he and Draco hadn't progressed to any dominant and submissive sexual games. They were both quite good at playing the part of submissive, while both also quite capable of being dominant. This probably wasn't the appropriate time to be thinking about Draco and sex, though, what with Voldemort currently circling him.

"Why are you here tonight, young Dustin?" Voldemort asked.

Harry had known that he'd be asked, and still wasn't quite sure that he was going to be giving an appropriate answer. "I had hopes of being able to see you defeat Harry Potter, my Lord. It would be a great pleasure to see you in action."

Harry held his breath, hoping that Voldemort would take it as a compliment rather than see it as mocking him, considering that Harry Potter was still nowhere to be found. 

"Interesting," Voldemort said coolly.

_Interesting? What the fuck did that mean?_

Voldemort was silent for several, very long, moments as he contemplated Harry. "Such a dedicated young Death Eater. Clearly more dedicated than the young Malfoy, which admittedly does surprise me. You please me," he finally said, effectively freeing Harry to breath normally again. 

"Rise," Voldemort ordered imperiously.

Harry silently rose to his feet, head still slightly bowed in deference to the Dark Lord.

"Do you wish to participate in the punishments tonight?" Voldemort asked.

"Your wish is my command, my Lord," Harry said evenly.

"Then so be it, you will stand beside me. I will honour the control exhibited by one so young," Voldemort said smoothly.

"Thank you, my Lord," Harry said with enough graciousness in his tone to appease Voldemort.

Harry was quite excited that Voldemort was cooperating so well. Not only did Voldemort not curse him for not having any information about Harry Potter, he didn't even question him. Although Harry knew Severus would take the brunt of the blame for not having good news from Hogwarts. But then again, Voldemort had allowed Harry to stand at his side. He would allow the man his rant before happily bursting his bubble. 

And rant is what he did, for no one had heard any news about Harry Potter. Unfortunately, as expected, both Lucius and Severus were _Crucio_ -ed in the process, though Harry was thankful that Voldemort seemed to want the pleasure of torturing them himself this time.

Harry briefly thought about changing the plan, but both men had known this would happen. He knew they were both carrying pain killing and anti- _Cruciatus_ potions on them at least. They'd come prepared for this meeting.

Harry was reminded of the reason for carrying through with the plan as both he and Voldemort _Crucio_ -ed many of the other Death Eaters as well. Voldemort was angry enough that he temporarily disabled many of his followers. With each Death Eater that Harry got to torture, under Voldemort's actual command, it meant one less he'd have shooting curses at him when he turned into Harry Potter. The ranks of Death Eaters were being effectively weakened. 

Harry smirked viciously at the squirming Death Eater currently under the curse from his wand and decided this was a quite satisfactory way of evening the odds a little. He had seen Nagini slither around to the back of the room and hoped that she would be doing her part to help even the odds in their favour, as they'd arranged. 

Screams echoed throughout the room, and thirty minutes later, probably close to half of the Death Eaters were moaning in pain in their ranks, or even collapsed on the stone floor. Voldemort was extremely furious that his plans had not brought forth Harry Potter as he'd hoped. 

Voldemort eventually seemed to be winding down again, slightly anyway. He sent the latest victims back to their ranks without calling anyone else forward.

"You are all worthless," he shouted, red eyes flashing dangerously at all of them. 

It was time. Harry tipped his head so his chin almost touched his chest. While to most it would almost look like he was lowering his head in shame, Severus would see it as the signal they'd arranged. Harry wasn't sure how much they'd really needed the signal, considering how obvious this moment would be to his father and Lucius, but Harry signalled he was ready, regardless.

Under the cover of his hood, Harry could feel the slight tingling sensation as the charms were once again applied, revealing him to look like the Harry Potter that they all would recognize. Under cover of Voldemort's ranting about how worthless they all were, Harry opened his eyes wide and breathed out the spell to _Accio_ the contacts from his eyes. He closed his hand lightly around the dark contacts and dropped them into a pocket in the robes he was wearing. Take off the robes and he would be Harry Potter again.

He breathed out another spell, albeit much longer and much more complicated, with his wand still at his side but pointed at Voldemort.

"Almost a hundred supposedly loyal followers and yet not one of you have been able to locate Harry Potter," Voldemort said coldly.

"I have," Harry spoke quietly. The room froze, only Voldemort whirled on him.

"You know where Harry Potter is and yet you have not informed me of this?" Voldemort shouted furiously.

Turning to fully face Voldemort, Harry slowly lifted his head, even as his left hand reached up to pull back the hood on his robes. He smirked at Voldemort and switched to Parseltongue to speak to him.

“Hello, Tom. I heard you were looking for me.”

This time even Voldemort appeared to be frozen in shock for several long moments as he watched Harry deftly undo the fastenings of the Death Eater robes one handed before shrugging them off one arm at a time. He was left standing there simply wearing blue jeans and his red with gold trim Gryffindor jumper. The scar stood out on his forehead and was only highlighted by the fact that his glasses were not there to detract from its appearance. The glasses were the only thing missing from the Harry Potter that they all recognized.

Harry quirked an eyebrow. “What? Nothing to say now that I'm actually here?”

Voldemort's face contorted in absolute fury and the Death Eaters shifted restlessly, unsure of what was happening and unsure of what to do. They all knew that Harry Potter was their master's to torture and kill.

"Do nothing yet," Voldemort commanded his followers. 

Harry gave an inward sigh of relief. The bastard would want answers to his questions before he did anything. They had almost been relying on that fact, although Harry had added a few tricks up his sleeve since they'd originally made their plans.

“Would you like some answers?”

Voldemort's eyes narrowed dangerously and automatically switched over to using Parseltongue as well. “Who exactly are you? I would say that you have used a Polyjuice potion to impersonate Dustin Snape, as Harry Potter is the only being besides myself capable of speaking Parseltongue.” 

Harry shrugged. “I am Harry Potter, but I am also known as Dustin Snape. You may call me whatever you wish.”

“How is this possible?” Voldemort was seething with fury.

“Just charms of my mother's coming back to haunt you once again,” Harry answered him, happy to point that out.

“Your mother was a worthless Mudblood,” Voldemort scorned her very mention.

Harry's nostril's flared, his anger ignited.

“My mother was an extremely talented witch who effectively got rid of you for thirteen years with her love for me. She also effectively protected me with a series of charms that kept the knowledge of my real father secret and kept me protected for sixteen years. With those charms, I've been able to hide in plain sight for all these months. You tell me how worthless my mother was.”

Voldemort's eyes widened as the implications of what Harry was telling him finally set in. “Severus is a traitor. He is the one who brought you here.” 

Harry smirked as Voldemort looked to Severus quickly before targeting Harry with his glare again. By speaking in Parseltongue, no one else in the room understood what they were saying.

“Yes, he is my father.”

The Death Eaters were murmuring in discontent and Harry could see in his peripheral vision all the wands trained on him. Things could get sticky real fast and he was still relying quite heavily on Voldemort's predictability. 

Harry knew Severus and Lucius were waiting for a signal from him, but he had changed the plans. About now, Harry and Severus were supposed to be Portkeying out of there.

It was exposing Severus' cover along with his own, but the idea had been to prove to Voldemort that Harry was truly a force to be reckoned with. It would bring Harry out of hiding and show Voldemort some of his strengths. Voldemort was now aware of who Harry was, that Severus was his father and that Harry had been strong enough to pose as one of his followers. 

That had all gone according to plan, despite the fact that the plan had been far from fool proof and relied too much on Voldemort's unwitting cooperation for Severus' taste. But they had finally all agreed to the plan—the same plan that Harry was now changing.

Voldemort hissed at him angrily. “You will both die. No one can reach you here. You will both be tortured mercilessly until you beg me to kill you.”

So much happened so quickly that Harry would be hard pressed to explain it all later.

"Severus will be tortured as a traitor," Voldemort's voice suddenly rang out coldly, speaking in English this time. "But do not kill him yet."

Immediately wands trained on Harry shifted to his father, and several curses rang out. Severus hadn't even had a chance to react and his body dropped, blood pouring from what looked like a cutting curse someone had hit him with.

“I can read the book,” Harry hissed furiously at Voldemort, his eyes flashing in anger and worry, before swiftly casting several stunning spells at the Death Eaters closest to his father.

Harry's words spoken in Parseltongue got the immediate reaction he expected and hoped for.

"Stop!" Voldemort commanded, shouting loudly over the sudden influx of noise in the room.

Harry's bracelet had turned cold, telling him his father was indeed unconscious. In contrast to the coldness, Harry automatically brought the bracelet to his lips, and mumbled the command as he'd done so often the last few days, signalling to Draco that they were safe. They weren't truly safe yet, but he did not want Draco popping in here. Harry saw Lucius touch his ring and knew he was doing the same, essentially telling Draco not to come by telling him they were safe.

As Harry was signalling Draco, the Death Eaters had frozen again at Voldemort's command. They all turned to Voldemort in confusion. Only one Death Eater looked to Harry for direction. 

"Stop the flow of blood, Lucius," Harry commanded. They hadn't planned on uncovering Lucius as a spy, too, but Severus needed help. Lucius didn't question him and immediately began casting the spells to stop the blood flowing so freely from Severus' wounds. A couple of very loyal Death Eaters, or very stupid considering that Voldemort had ordered them to stop, quickly shot spells at Lucius, correctly seeing him as a traitor when he went to obey Harry's command.

"The rest of you miserable lot stand back and leave them alone," Harry commanded. "I have business to discuss with your _master_ ," he spat sarcastically.

There was a lot of angry muttering, and wands were lifted towards Harry and some towards Lucius and Severus. Harry's wand, however, was trained steadily on Voldemort, and no one missed that fact. 

Voldemort himself was looking furious enough to explode. Harry would wager a lot that Voldemort's next words cost him about everything he had. "Do as he says," Voldemort managed to grit out.

Lucius was wounded, but not nearly as badly as Severus had been. He sneered at his previously fellow Death Eaters, but did not retaliate. He had no idea how Harry was keeping any kind of control over Voldemort, but wasn't going to risk it by returning curses. 

“Have you turned Lucius against me, too?” Voldemort hissed furiously, switching back to Parseltongue.

“He turned away from you on his own, you miserable fucking bastard.” Harry was just as livid with Voldemort because of his command to torture Severus. “It wasn't very smart of you to injure my father and Lucius. I hope you realize I'm going to fucking kill you.”

“You do not have the ability to kill anyone, let alone me."

Harry shifted his wand slightly. " _Avada Kedavra_!" he shouted without hesitation, the blaze of green light killing the nearest Death Eater. He had just killed Dolohov and found that, at least at this moment, he couldn't care less that he'd just killed for the first time. He didn't think he'd particularly care later, either.

There were shouts and a lot of shuffling, but once again everyone froze at Voldemort's command. 

Harry glared at Voldemort viciously, his wand trained on him once again. 

“Do you still think that I don't have the ability? Has it not registered yet that I stood here and happily tortured many of your followers earlier?”

Fear flickered across Voldemort's features, just as it had when Harry had first hissed that he could read the book. The fear was quickly replaced with rage.

Voldemort finally brought his wand up to curse Harry and Harry was only surprised that he hadn't done it earlier. But then, Harry knew that Voldemort's preference had initially been to toy with him. Now, Voldemort was prepared to kill him.

Harry smirked at him, causing Voldemort to hesitate slightly. Long enough for Harry to say what he had to say next.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you. You attempt to curse me and all of your followers will know immediately that you cannot perform magic at the moment.”

Voldemort's eyes widened in horror. “That cannot be true.”

“Oh, but it is true. See, I haven't had long to study it, but already I've learned a few handy little spells from that book.”

Voldemort's eyes narrowed again in suspicion. “How can you possibly know of that book? And how is it that you say you can read it?”

“I don't see how that's particularly important. What is important right now is that you are incapable of using magic and I will leave it to you to figure out for how long. Right now, I think it is time for me and a few others to leave.”

Keeping his wand trained on Voldemort, Harry made his way over to Severus and Lucius. "Are you ready to go?" he asked Lucius quietly.

"More than ready," Lucius replied.

Nagini slithered into view. “Master? It is time to go?”

Voldemort looked thunderstruck when Nagini addressed Harry as her master. 

“I take it that you killed some of them and you are compromised here now?”

“Yes, Master. I was able to poison several of them in the confusion.”

Voldemort stared at Nagini. “I am your Master.”

“You are no longer my master. I serve only Harry Potter.”

As Voldemort argued with his former snake, Harry raised his wand in the air and muttered a complicated spell. Lucius had one hand on the Portkey and one hand gripping Severus' arm. Harry called Nagini closer to him, laying his left hand on her head, his right hand once again holding his wand trained on Voldemort, but close enough that within a second he'd be able to grab the Portkey and activate it.

"I've reset the wards," Harry shouted loudly enough for them all to hear. "For the next thirty minutes you will all be trapped in this room. If you dare to follow me to exact your revenge, I'll be at Hogwarts waiting when your time here is up. Although, I'm sure you're all too cowardly to come."

He grabbed the Portkey, activated it, and they were gone.

~*~*~*~

They hadn't even landed at the Hogwarts gates when Lucius began yelling at him furiously. "What did you think you were doing back there?"

Harry ignored him for a moment, casting a lightening charm on his father's body so that he could pick him up and carry him. "Can you walk?" he asked Lucius, pointedly ignoring Lucius' shouting.

"The bloody bastards took out my leg," Lucius said coldly.

"Then lean on me. We've got to hurry," Harry said.

Lucius sneered at him, but did put his arm around Harry's shoulders and began limping up the path to the school. He was furious with Harry, but recognized the need to hurry.

“Nagini, stay out of sight here near the main gates. The Death Eaters will likely be coming soon. But be careful, because our side will likely not recognize or believe that you are here to help them. I won't have time to convince them otherwise.”

“I understand, Master.”

Harry looked down at his father, currently cradled in his arms. Despite the lightening charm he had cast, it was still awkward carrying the larger man. He gazed at the pale face and the bloodied and injured body worriedly.

"Is my father all right?"

"He will be fine," Lucius said. "I've left him unconscious mainly so that he will not have to deal with the pain." Lucius turned his head to glare at Harry. "That, and I didn't think he needed to witness his son behaving any more foolishly."

"Look, I'll explain later, but right now I've likely got a shitload of Death Eaters heading our way," Harry said angrily.

"And why exactly were you encouraging them to come chasing after us here?" Lucius' voice was cold and unrelenting. "You goaded the Dark Lord into such a state that whether they wish to come or not, they will be here to attack."

"I know that," Harry snapped. "We're prepared to fight them here. We can hopefully take out most of them and then soon enough I'll be able to take out Voldemort himself."

Lucius blinked at him. "You know what the power is now?" he asked incredulously.

"Not exactly," Harry said, "but I know where to find it and Voldemort knows it. That was the knowledge I was holding over him. I think he knows very well that his time is short."

Lucius leaned even more heavily on Harry as they slowly made their way up the Hogwarts steps. "You are still a foolish Gryffindor," Lucius said, grimacing in pain as they paused at the top of the steps for Lucius to catch his breath.

"Maybe," Harry said. "But I just got us out of a room with close to a hundred Death Eaters and Voldemort himself—alive."

Lucius quirked an eyebrow at him, showing mild surprise as that fact registered. "You're right," he admitted slowly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I keep trying to tell you guys that combining my Slytherin and my Gryffindor qualities can actually be a good thing."

Lucius sneered at him as they made it into the Entrance Hall. "I simply think Harry Potter's luck was at work once again."

Harry started laughing. "Maybe that, too," he agreed.

~*~*~*~

A few of the students were noticeably worried, but most of the school was still sitting down to dinner, chatting as usual. At least they were until the doors to the Great Hall flew open and in strolled Harry Potter carrying a severely injured Professor Snape with Lucius Malfoy leaning heavily on him.

Harry could hear the cries of his name coming from the Gryffindor table. In fact, the entire hall was an explosion of exclamations and screams.

He shouted into the chaos, "Quiet! There's no time right now." 

Professor Dumbledore just lifted a hand to also ask for silence. 

Draco came rushing forward to help with his father. He asked Harry quietly, "Are you okay?"

Harry answered just as softly, "I'm fine, Draco. And our fathers will be fine." He gave Draco a slight smile as Draco took the brunt of his father's weight. 

Harry continued towards the head table with Draco and Lucius following. "Albus, I'm afraid the fight may be heading this way. We were a bit outnumbered," he said wryly.

Lucius snorted behind him and Harry again pointedly ignored him.

Harry continued, "I need you to take the professors and go to the main gates. They may very well have been idiotic enough to follow me." He smirked at the Headmaster, to the astonishment of many in the room. "There will likely be most of the Death Eaters, however Voldemort won't be with them. We have maybe ten minutes until they get here and, if we're waiting at the main gates, hopefully they won't get much further on the grounds." 

He tilted his head towards Professor McGonagall. "I need the professor, so she can call the Order and contact the Ministry."

Dumbledore simply nodded and began heading for the main doors, gesturing for the professors to follow. "Students, listen to Harry. Listen to him as you would listen to Dustin. Teachers, we must hurry."

Professor McGonagall glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded to her. "Do what he asks, please." Professor McGonagall looked befuddled with this development, but she stayed. 

"Oh, wait!" Harry shouted suddenly. All of the professors stopped and turned to look at Harry expectantly. "If you see Nagini out there, leave her be. She's helping me."

All of them gaped at Harry incredulously. Even Dumbledore looked astonished. "You've been busy, my boy," Dumbledore said after a couple seconds, before turning back to leave the room.

As the other professors were leaving, Harry passed Severus to Draco's arms and lifted his jumper and t-shirt to remove a tattered book from the waistband of his jeans, handing it to Professor McGonagall. "Take this to Albus' office. If you know of a place to hide it in there, then do it. Then you can call in the reinforcements before going out to the main gates with the others." She took it without question and left quickly. If Dumbledore trusted Harry, then she didn't see how she could not trust him, as well.

Harry snapped Madam Pomfrey out of the spell she seemed to be under. "Poppy, please take Severus and Lucius and take care of them." She seemed to take control of herself and conjured two stretchers and levitated the men onto them. Harry touched her arm and said quietly, "Lucius is not a danger to anyone here. He's on our side and has been helping me."

Lucius sneered at him. "I will be a danger to you, until you get a chance to explain all this to my satisfaction."

Harry smirked at him. "Then I'll just have to rely on that luck then, won't I?"

To the astonishment of everyone listening, Lucius began chuckling and shaking his head in wry amusement. Then he sobered. "You two be careful out there," he warned both Harry and Draco.

"I know," Harry said, sobering as well. "They're seriously out for my blood now."

"They weren't before?!" Draco exclaimed incredulously.

Lucius chuckled again. "Actually, I have to say that their anger with him before is nothing compared to what it is now."

"What the fuck did you do?!" Draco exclaimed loudly, staring wide-eyed at Harry.

"I'll explain later," Harry said, his impatience returning. "We don't have much time left." He turned to Madam Pomfrey. "Poppy, take care of them. I'll send help up shortly."

Madam Pomfrey simply nodded and turned to take her patients to the infirmary. She wasn't sure exactly what Harry had been up to this time, but she was getting used to this kind of behaviour from him. 

He finally turned to face the stunned students. Draco was standing at his side, the professors had all left the room, and everyone else was still sitting as if they had been frozen in place. 

First, Harry Potter strolls in like he'd never been gone. He's carrying an injured Professor _Snape_. He has _Lucius Malfoy_ with him, who is also injured. Then he dares to start _ordering_ the Headmaster around, along with the other professors. And the Headmaster and professors _listen_ to him. Top it all off, _Draco Malfoy_ goes to stand by his side.

But Harry didn't have time for explanations. Action was needed and it was needed _now_.

"Everyone, I know that you've trained for this and we need your abilities now." Harry glanced around the room. The students were obviously still in shock, but he seemed to have their attention. "We've got Death Eaters about to attack the school very soon."

Draco already had Harry's galleon out and was setting it for the emergency. The message would be sent to everyone, but particularly anybody who wasn't already in the Great Hall.

"In your groups now," he ordered. The leaders stood and the teams were already gathering. They may have been confused, but they did understand that there was danger to the school and they had trained for this. 

Harry was anxious to get back outside, but he knew it was necessary to make sure all the students were gathered and all the groups formed so they could go to their positions as a group. It wasn't safe to send anyone out alone. 

There was one group that was a little more confused and he knew why. Now was still not the time to explain, though. Regardless of the confusion, Harry's group gathered around him and Draco.

Luckily, they only had to wait a few minutes before the reports came from the groups that everyone was present. "Teams, this is an attack on the school by a large number of Death Eaters. You know your positions. Go!" Harry ordered. 

"Dustin's group, come with me," he said. He started for the main doors with Draco right beside him. "We've got to help back up the professors." He muttered to himself, "Hopefully none of this other protection will even be necessary."

Ron and Hermione were glad to see their friend again, but even they realized this wasn't the time for a friendly reunion. They fell into step behind Harry and Draco, along with the rest of their group. 

Once they reached the steps outside the castle, they could see the Death Eaters beginning to swarm onto the Hogwarts grounds along with the professors fighting them. They were far outnumbered. "Let's go!" Harry shouted and took off running. The group ran to join the battle.

For Harry, he was back in the battle that he had started, but this time with plenty of reinforcements. And this time he would actually be battling. He ran to the outskirts where he could see some of the Death Eaters trying to slip away unnoticed to get closer to the castle.

He cast _Stupefy_ at the first Death Eater he came across. Then he moved on. The Death Eater hadn't even seen the students coming to join the battle. With the power of surprise on their side, they were able to stun several of the Death Eaters. Then they had to battle in earnest and more duels sprung up on the castle grounds. 

Harry ducked and dodged as he ran low through the throng of people, casting spells when he had the opportunity. There was one Death Eater he was most concerned about, and that's who he was looking for. Then he found her.

"Bellatrix," Harry shouted. "Your time is up!" 

She shot a bright purple beam at Harry, which he quickly shielded. "Seems Baby Potter's finally grown up," she snarled at him nastily.

Both of them were firing spells in quick succession. 

"Yeah, I've grown up and soon your master will finally be dead for good," he sneered at her maliciously, following up his words by shooting a particularly vicious cutting curse at her, which she wasn't able to deflect completely.

"That was for cursing my godfather," Harry said angrily.

Her eyes were insane as she glared at him, blood pouring down her side. "Seems you've learned to duel as well."

More curses flowed steadily between them, none hitting their mark, but the brutal duel was wearing them both down. Harry had never been so thankful for all the many hours he'd spent duelling against his father and Lucius. The memory of the duel against his father in front of the DA at the beginning of the year flicked through Harry's mind and he cast the fire spell his father had used successfully on him so many times.

It was successful with Bellatrix. A swift _Expelliarmus_ and Harry had her wand in hand, a shout of triumph on his lips. Within a couple of seconds he had her stunned and bound. He would've preferred to _Crucio_ the bitch, or outright kill her, but knew that wouldn't go over well in front of the other students and the professors. Already he was going to have to explain the fact that he'd killed Dolohov without hesitation, and encouraged Nagini to kill several others with her venom.

Looking around, Harry realized that the battle against the Death Eaters had turned quickly when Aurors and members of the Order arrived to help. As the adults began binding and gathering up the fallen Death Eaters, Tonks came up to where Harry still stood. 

"Wotcher, Harry! Who do you got there?" she asked.

"Bellatrix," Harry spat. "Please make sure the damn Ministry gets her under Veritaserum and gets her locked away again."

"Sure thing, Harry," she said easily. "Glad to have you back," she said, grinning at him and ruffling his hair as she got close enough.

Harry glared at her irritably for ruffling his hair, which just caused her to ruffle it again. "You're so cute when you're irritated," she said with a wide grin. "We've missed you."

Harry smiled then. "Yeah, I've missed you, too."

~*~*~*~

Instead of returning to the school, Harry slipped back to the edge of the grounds and Apparated back to where he'd come from. He sent a quick pulse to Draco and their fathers telling them that he was safe.

Harry had lied to Lucius. He knew exactly how to deal with Voldemort now. He'd just needed to get rid of all the Death Eaters first, if he could. Now that they'd been dealt with back at Hogwarts, he could deal with Voldemort on his own.

"Hello, Tom," Harry sneered. 

Voldemort whirled, red eyes blazing. Harry dodged the _Crucio_ that was shot in his direction, but didn't fire a curse in return. He only intended to cast two more spells. He may have need of a few defensive shields, but he didn't think so. Voldemort was a creature of habit, and was, even now, more interested in getting answers than he was in duelling. 

"Didn't expect me back so soon, did you?" Harry asked. "I assume you've figured out by now that I made it impossible for you to leave here, and obviously you've realized that you have use of your magic."

"You, how dare you think that you could possibly destroy me?" Voldemort shouted furiously.

Harry snorted derisively. "I could have destroyed you earlier. I just happened to want to deal with most of your followers, too. They would've scattered if they'd seen me destroy you first."

Voldemort's eyes flashed with fear again and Harry sneered at him viciously.

"You see, Tom, I'm really fucking tired of living my life in fear of you and your followers. I decided it wasn't enough for me just to get rid of you. Many of these petty followers of yours would likely want revenge. I didn't want to get rid of you, simply to play an elaborate game of hide and seek with them. Getting awfully fucking tired of playing hide and seek," he said bitterly.

Voldemort was seething with fury and fear. "How were you able to read that book?"

"Because my intentions are pure, at least more pure than yours are," Harry sneered contemptuously. 

"You are not pure, Harry Potter," Voldemort said coldly. "You've tortured and even killed now."

Harry snorted. "Apparently, my father was right, and you can do Dark Magic and even commit murder if your intentions are to rid the world of controlling evil, like you, that threatens everyone's way of life and their very existence."

He glared at Voldemort. "You want your answer before you die?"

Voldemort glared back, but his fear was becoming palpable.

Harry was maliciously pleased with the turn of the tables. "You sent Nagini searching for Merlin's caves, thinking that if she found something it would make you the all-powerful ruler, knowing his secrets. And she found it. Nagini brought back Merlin's journal for you. But you didn't count on Merlin safeguarding his secrets from filth like you."

"You are no better than me, Harry Potter. We are too much alike," Voldemort said coldly.

"Oh, I agree we have similarities," Harry admitted. "But Dumbledore once told me that it's the choices we make that can make the difference. He also said something else to me."

Harry's eyes narrowed as he contemplated what he was about to say. "He told me that my greatest strength was my ability to feel pain. Feeling pain because I cared."

Voldemort scoffed at him. "Sounds like something that the old man would say."

Harry's lips curled into a smirk. "I didn't understand it at the time either," he admitted. "But Merlin, in his time, understood the lesson Dumbledore was trying to teach me."

Voldemort was infuriated and impatient. "Tell me," he commanded.

Harry's smirk widened. "Merlin placed powerful spells on his journal that would allow it to read a person. Somewhat like the Sorting Hat reads people, I would guess," he said with a shrug.

Voldemort's eyes widened as he began to understand.

Harry continued. "The journal reads people, and the magic Merlin left in it decides whether they are worthy of reading it or not. It deemed you unworthy while it deemed me worthy," he said simply. "I think it deemed me worthy because of the choices I've made in my life, because I care and can feel pain, and probably because of my magical power," he said with another shrug. 

"Feeling love and pain for others isn't exactly a 'power' you understand." Harry smirked. "But Merlin understood it."

"You cannot possibly appreciate the power and knowledge of Merlin's magic like I can," Voldemort shouted furiously.

"Sure I can," Harry said. "It is his spells that are going to rid the Wizarding world of you."

It was time to end this, once and for all. Slowly, Harry raised his wand.

Voldemort saw him and, much faster than Harry, brought his wand up. " _Avada Kedavra_!" he shouted. 

Harry was anticipating it and quickly dodged the flare of green light aimed at him. He had deliberately brought his wand up slowly, wanting Voldemort to fire a curse first to avoid the brother wand phenomenon.

" _Animus Corpus Vinculum_ ," Harry intoned, his voice solid.

A torrent of red light and power shot from the end of Harry's wand and slammed into Voldemort, instantly surrounding him.

"What colour is your soul?" Harry asked, his voice sounding eerie over the tortured screams of Voldemort. 

"You see, I've learned the colour of my soul is red. It symbolizes the blood that flows through me, allowing me to live. It symbolizes raw power and energy. It symbolizes the heart and strong emotions like love," Harry said, talking mainly to himself, watching with a detached impassiveness as the red light surrounding Voldemort slowly turned black. Harry had learned a lot from Merlin's journal in a short amount of time.

He could barely see Voldemort's features as the spell slowly bound Voldemort's heart, mind, body and soul. His scar began prickling painfully as he wondered if Voldemort even had a heart to bind and how much soul there was really left in the creature before him. Voldemort wasn't exactly human anymore.

The tortured screams indicated that it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience for Voldemort, but it would guarantee that when Harry cast the final curse, Voldemort would be unable to ever return again, human or not.

Suddenly, extreme pain lanced through Harry's scar, the agony akin to the feeling of when Voldemort physically touched him, though they remained several feet apart. Harry clamped down on the pain and threatening nausea. He needed to finish this more than anything he'd ever done before.

Harry waited. He sunk to his knees in agony, but he continued to wait until the blackness surrounding Voldemort faded away, leaving the collapsed form of Voldemort on the stone floor before him.

"You will never again return," Harry pronounced coldly.

" _Avada Kedavra_!”

With the green flash of the killing curse, Voldemort was dead, never to return.


	46. Chapter 46

Harry stared at the lifeless body for several long minutes, panting heavily and attempting to regain control over his own body. It was finally over. Kill or be killed—and he had killed. He had won.

He absently lifted his hand, bringing the snake bracelet to his lips. He uttered the word declaring him safe, and was bemused by how much safer he actually was now. He lifted his hand higher, rubbing his fingers against his forehead. It was gone. His connection with Voldemort, his scar, it was gone.

“Suziana?”

“Yes, young master?”

“Just checking. I wasn't sure if I could still speak with you.”

“I can still understand you. Are you all right?”

“I'm fine. Just a little amazed that it's over.”

Suziana didn't respond again and Harry was grateful. He was feeling a little overwhelmed. He was finally free. Whether Parseltongue originally came from Voldemort or not didn't much matter. It was a part of Harry now and only Harry. He could finally be himself.

A quiet shuffling got his attention and he whipped his head up to see Wormtail edging forward from the shadows.

"D-don't k-kill m-me," Wormtail stuttered.

Harry stood and flicked his wand, casting a Silencing charm on him, not wanting to listen to his grovelling.

"No, I won't kill you," Harry said coldly. "You will be going to the Ministry where you are going to finally tell the truth. You will finally make it known just who betrayed my parents and Sirius."

Harry conjured a cage and Wormtail meekly changed into his Animagus form and scampered inside. It was over for Peter Pettigrew, too. He knew it as well as Harry.

All said and done, Harry had been gone from Hogwarts for less than an hour. When he Apparated back, he was met with two extremely anxious people. 

Draco spotted him first and ran, catching Harry up in a huge hug. "Are you all right? You disappeared and scared the fuck out of everyone. But you did it, didn't you? The Dark Marks are gone. I saw them go. They were screaming in agony, then the Dark Marks just disappeared. Oh Merlin, your scar is gone, too." Draco was wide-eyed and rambling faster than Harry could keep up.

Harry leaned in and kissed him, effectively shutting him up.

"Harry." The sound of Dumbledore's voice broke them apart, and Harry turned his head to look at the old wizard.

Harry gave him a tired smile. "It's over. It's finally over." He handed the cage over to Dumbledore. Let him deal with the rat. Dumbledore could go and deal with Voldemort's dead body, too. Harry felt he was more than done with his part, and someone else could handle the rest of it.

Dumbledore beamed at him. "You've done well indeed, Harry." He gestured for them to walk. "Come. There are some very worried people waiting."

"My father? Lucius?" Harry asked. 

Draco had his arm tightly wrapped around Harry's waist as they walked, and it was he who answered. "Yes, both our fathers are doing well enough."

"I think they will be feeling much more comfortable once they see you again," Dumbledore said with a kind smile.

"Where is everyone else?" Harry asked. "Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone is fine," Dumbledore answered. "There were only a few minor injuries and those few are still in the infirmary. Otherwise, everyone is ensconced in the Great Hall awaiting news."

"Lovely," Harry said wearily.

"Perhaps a short announcement to those in the Great Hall would be prudent before we go to my office," Dumbledore suggested.

Harry slowly shook his head. "No, can I just explain everything to everyone at once?"

"Do you think that wise?" Dumbledore asked.

"I've got nothing to hide anymore," Harry said.

"But you need sleep and you seem awfully weak," Draco protested. "Just save it all until tomorrow."

"Give me some food and a pepper-up potion and I'll be good to go for a while," Harry said. "It'll be all over the papers by tomorrow and I owe the school a few explanations first."

"Very well then," Dumbledore said. "I suggest you stop off in the kitchens and Dobby can help you with anything you need. I will gather everyone into the Great Hall, and we will meet you there when you are ready."

"Fine," Harry said. "Just don't tell my father or Lucius where I am. They're less likely to kill me in front of witnesses."

Dumbledore chuckled and Draco burst out laughing.

"You'll face the Dark Lord without fear, but you're scared of our fathers," Draco said, not even trying to control his laughter.

Harry shrugged and smiled ruefully. "I kind of messed with the plans and got both of them injured in the process. They're not going to be exactly happy with me."

"After what Father said earlier, I'd say you have a whole lot of explaining to do," Draco said, grinning widely. "But the fact that you just offed the Dark Lord will probably go a long way towards them forgiving you."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling brighter than Harry had ever seen them. "Eat and we will see you shortly."

~*~*~*~

"Ready for this?" Draco asked quietly.

"Not exactly," Harry said. "I'd rather be going to bed."

"I'd rather you be going to bed, too," Draco drawled.

Harry grinned. He was feeling a whole lot better after eating and downing a couple of pepper-up potions that Dobby had fetched for him. The change of clothes had been nice, too. He was still going to be happy when he could go to bed and get some real sleep, though.

While he had eaten, he'd filled Draco in on the basics of what had happened. That had been the easy part. Now, Harry needed to tell the rest of the school, and essentially the entire Wizarding world. 

He had shown up at dinnertime with his father and Lucius, and a ton of Death Eaters. After a battle with them, gone for an hour to deal with Voldemort, and a half hour for a quick meal, it was still only nine o'clock. 

The entire day had a sense of the surreal about it, but it was striking Harry as very odd that the entire school, and Merlin knew who all else, was meeting at a time when normally the students were all required to be in their dormitories and many would normally be getting ready for bed. 

Harry and Draco were standing outside the doors of the Great Hall and they could hear all the noise and chaos of everyone inside. Harry was starting to feel a bit panicky. This was a whole lot harder than facing Voldemort.

Draco pulled him into a tight embrace. "You'll be fine, Angel," he said soothingly. "You get to tell them the news that Voldemort's finally gone and everything will fall into place from there."

"But-" Harry began.

Draco shushed him with a kiss. "No. You finally get to live your life. You're going to go in there and pull all the pieces of your life together and I'm going to be right there with you the whole time."

Harry smiled. "You know that fact alone is going to throw a lot of people for a loop."

Draco smirked at him. "Yes, and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it. Now come on and let's get this show started."

Harry shook his head ruefully, but he smiled and straightened his shoulders. "Let's go then."

They opened the doors and almost immediately the room fell into silence. Their eyes widened a little when they saw the room. All of the house tables had been moved further back towards the main doors. This left room for the Head Table to be moved down to the main floor and several smaller tables were set up around the front as well. Harry easily spotted the Weasley family. There were members of the Order and several Aurors, but they were all people that Harry knew. He was thankful to see that Fudge wasn't there and he didn't see any reporters. This was still a lot more people than he'd been expecting.

Incongruous to the normal arrangements, there was now a comfortable looking sofa where the Head Table normally sat on the raised platform at the front of the room. At least Dumbledore was going to let him be comfortable physically, Harry thought a little hysterically.

"Please," Dumbledore said, rising as soon as they'd walked into the room. "If everyone can please remain seated and quiet, Harry will explain." His warning almost didn't seem necessary, until Harry realized that several other people had risen around the room, Ron, Hermione, Blaise, and Neville amongst them.

Unfortunately, Severus and Lucius weren't inclined to listen to Dumbledore. "Harry!" Severus bellowed. "Get over here. NOW!"

Harry flinched and began walking, Draco squeezing his hand in reassurance. "Remember he's got witnesses," Draco whispered.

Harry flashed Draco a glare. "That's not very reassuring at the moment, now is it?"

Draco glanced at Severus' thunderous expression and winced. "No, can't say that it is."

Harry vaguely heard a few shouts of protest, mostly from the Gryffindor side of the room, but then he also heard Dumbledore reassuring them and telling them to remain seated.

Harry stopped a few feet away from his father. "I'm sorry," he said meekly.

"You're sorry?" Severus said, his voice low and very, very dangerous. 

"Yes, I'm sorry," Harry said defiantly, his spark coming back. "I didn't intend for you and Lucius to get hurt in all that."

"And what, pray tell, happened to the plan? The one that was working and meant no one would have got hurt?" Severus asked, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You did pull an awfully foolish stunt," Lucius said, smirking at Harry.

Harry knew that Lucius had already forgiven him, considering the smirk and the sparkle in his grey eyes so much like Draco's. It told Harry that Lucius was quite enjoying this.

"Shut up, Lucius," Harry said irritably. "You're not helping."

Lucius chuckled as Severus looked like he was about to explode. "I did say you were going to have some explaining to do," Lucius drawled.

"And as soon as he's done killing me for being a foolish Gryffindor, then I'll start explaining.”

"The plan, Harry?" Severus ground out.

"The plan changed when I learned what the power was."

Severus paused, glancing quickly at Lucius before turning back to Harry. "You told Lucius you only suspected where to learn it," he said slowly.

"I lied to him," Harry snapped. "I knew exactly what was going to happen and couldn't afford to have him holding me back until I explained it all. I'm not all Gryffindor, in case you don't remember."

"You could've got any number of people killed," Severus shouted.

"Yes, I could have," Harry shouted back. "But fuck it all, my new plan worked!"

"He has a valid point, Severus," Lucius drawled.

"Shut up, Lucius," Severus sneered. "You're just thankful he didn't drag Draco along with him this time."

Severus slowly started limping towards Harry. "If you ever pull such a foolish Gryffindor stunt again..." he trailed off dangerously.

Harry rolled his eyes, even as he stepped forward and hugged his father. He was trying to be careful of his father's injuries, but Severus held on to him tightly. "I was afraid for your life, Harry," Severus murmured quietly into Harry's hair.

"I know," Harry answered, his own voice muffled in his father's robes. "But it's all finally over now. We're both free."

"You really did it?" Severus asked.

Harry pulled back and grinned. "Yes, and if you let me go, I'll go tell everyone."

Severus finally smiled. "This should get interesting."

"Indeed," Lucius drawled. He pulled Harry into a hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome," Harry answered. It seemed he pretty much had two parents now, after all. He took Draco's hand and beamed at Severus and Lucius. "Showtime!"

Severus, Lucius and Draco all smirked at him as he took off with Draco for the raised platform, a new spring in his step.

He turned to face the crowd in the Great Hall and realized that he had an awful lot of people staring at him in various degrees of shock, horror and confusion. He grinned at them all. "I know I've got a lot of explaining to do and I promise I'll explain it all if you just hear me out. Although, it's likely going to be a late night if I explain everything," he added.

"I don't care how late it gets," Ron shouted out from the crowd. "I want some answers, Harry!"

"You'll get your answers," Harry said. "But first I need to announce exactly why I can give you answers now."

Everyone looked at him expectantly and Harry beamed at them all. "Voldemort has finally been vanquished for good."

There was a stunned silence and Harry rolled his eyes. "I killed him. He's gone. He won't be coming back. We're free of Voldemort forever."

Finally the crowd broke out into wild cheering. He wasn't sure exactly how Dumbledore was accomplishing it, but he discouraged anyone from stepping up to the raised platform and encouraged everyone to stay where they were. 

Draco dragged Harry over to sit down on the sofa as they watched the explosion of good cheer throughout the Great Hall. Certainly no one looked tired and Harry was probably the only one even remotely thinking about bed. He closed his eyes and relaxed against Draco for a few minutes.

"It's going to be a really long night, isn't it?" he said quietly.

"But worth it," Draco answered.

Harry shifted so he could give Draco a kiss. He laid his head on Draco's chest after a few moments. "You know, this doesn't feel right."

Draco chuckled. "It feels right still, just different."

"I want all these charms and glamours off," Harry pouted.

"Just a little longer and then you can just be you," Draco drawled.

"I suppose," Harry said with a shrug. "But then I'll have to see how many people will respect that."

"Angel, look at them all," Draco said, pointing to the crowd that was still cheering, hugging, kissing and generally celebrating. "I think you might have given them pretty strong motivation to accept you," he said sarcastically.

"Either accept me or worship me," Harry said dryly.

"True," Draco admitted. "But there will at least be a few of us who still recognize that you have faults."

Harry slapped him on the arm, grinning again. "That's actually good to know.” He eyed the rambunctious crowd. "I should probably try to get their attention so I can get all this over with." 

"You're going to have them hanging on your every word," Draco said dryly.

Harry grinned, knowing Draco was probably right. He stood and stepped forward. He gazed out at the crowd and slowly raised his hands to get everyone's attention. He was a little surprised, despite knowing they wanted answers, at just how quickly everyone quieted down and focused on him again.

"Um, suddenly I don't know where to start," he said, blinking at the crowd.

"Perhaps you should simply start at the beginning," Dumbledore suggested, smiling benignly at him.

Harry took a deep breath. "You're right. If anyone is to understand what happened tonight, then I need to start back at the events from last summer."

He glanced over to his father and Severus nodded to him. "Okay then." He took another deep breath.

"At the beginning of last summer, I had a lot of time to think sitting at my relatives' house. I wasn't happy by any means and I decided to finally take charge of my own life and do something about it. I guess you could say I grew up a bit. I set out to get myself a new attitude and a new look. I think I was successful, but I didn't bother to tell anyone yet. I wanted to surprise everyone when school started up.”

He bit his lip, not sure for a moment how he wanted to continue. "Some things kind of happened at my relatives' house mid-summer. Let's just say that the shit hit the fan." He deliberately didn't look at the professors, or any of the other adults, many of whom he knew must be looking at him with disapproving glares. Most of the students chuckled a bit, however.

"I don't really want to explain what happened exactly, or how it happened, but Professor Snape ended up helping me out and took me to his house for the rest of the summer. It was about the safest place that could be found for me," and here Harry grinned before continuing, "No one would expect to find me at his house."

All of the students, and even most of the adults laughed. Harry threw a grin at his father. 

His grin grew even wider. "One day I just sort of happened to be exploring the house. Since we all know how much Professor Snape approves of me exploring where I don't belong," he said with a cheeky grin.

Once again laughter erupted around the room. He sent his father a slightly apologetic look, but he knew Severus understood. The ice had been broken and the tension had been eased. Hopefully it would help ease the next part of the explanation.

Harry sobered as the room quieted down again. "Well, once again my exploring got me a little more than I had bargained for. See, I found a journal tucked away that hadn't been seen for fifteen years. It was actually my mother's journal."

Much of the room gasped. Harry expected that, but he was still a little worried. This wasn't even the shocking news yet. Everyone was hanging on his every word, though.

"What I learned from that journal, and what Professor Snape learned, was that he is my real father." Now many exclamations could be heard around the room, as well as the gasps. Harry held up a hand. "Please," he asked them. "I've got more to tell you."

"Lots more," Draco muttered from beside him. Harry ignored him and continued.

"We also learned from the journal that my mother had placed several charms on me. This explained why I'd always looked like James Potter. It also explained why my appearance was changing in more ways than I had done on my own at the beginning of the summer."

He stopped talking and walked over to stand in front of his father. "Father, if you would, please."

Severus took out his wand, pointed it at Harry and said the incantations that would turn Harry's appearance back. Harry nodded his thanks to his father before turning around and walking back over to where Draco stood. 

Draco wrapped an arm around Harry's waist and leaned forward to kiss Harry on the cheek. “It’s good to have you back," he drawled. "I'm also glad I get to actually see those gorgeous green eyes of yours all the time now."

Harry just smiled. He took out his wand and undid the additional glamour he had on himself and then everyone could see the full look he had created over the summer. 

Almost every person in the hall had yet to recover. Shock was written on almost every single face in the Hall. Harry pointed at himself. "This is how I truly look now. I'm still technically Harry Potter, but I'm essentially the Dustin Snape that you've all got to know this year. I think the only real difference in my appearance is that I covered my scar and I've been wearing dark contacts for my eyes this year. It was better to match my father's eyes, because the green eyes I got from my mother really do seem to give me away as Harry Potter."

Several people nodded absently in agreement as they all took in Harry's appearance. He was standing there in his leather trousers and ankle boots with silver snakes adorning them. He had on a skin tight black t-shirt and the silver snake earring with Suziana wrapped around his upper arm again. This boy dressed all in black with his arm slung over Draco Malfoy's shoulder was the same boy they saw just a few minutes ago.

"I've been hiding in plain sight with all of you this year," Harry said. "Um, you've pretty much seen the real me all year, you just didn't know it."

"Harry, you've seriously been dating Malfoy—all year?" Ron shouted incredulously.

Harry looked at his friend a little worriedly. "Yes, 'fraid so, Ron." He could see Hermione trying to steady Ron, who looked like he was about ready to pass out at any moment. The problem was, Hermione wasn't looking much steadier herself.

Harry turned towards the Slytherin table to search out Neville. "Um, Neville?"

"On our way, Harry," Neville said, him and Blaise already walking over to the Gryffindor table. 

"We'll try to keep him from hitting the floor and hurting himself when the realization hits that you've been in Slytherin all year, dating Malfoy and Snape's your father," Blaise said with a grin as they came up behind Ron and Hermione.

Harry could see Ron's eyes widen at Blaise's words before they rolled to the back of his head as he tipped backwards. Luckily Blaise had been smart enough not to say anything until he'd been there to catch him.

"Gee, thanks for your help, Blaise," Harry said wryly.

"No problem, Harry," Blaise said, his grin not faltering a bit.

"Harry, do you mean to tell me that Neville and Blaise have known all this time?" Hermione screeched.

"Um, no, only since the holidays," Harry said warily.

"I can't believe you!" she shouted, not paying Ron even a bit of attention, allowing Blaise and Neville to lay Ron out on the stone floor, still passed out cold.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea to explain it to everyone at once," Harry said, a little wide-eyed.

"Seems better to me," Draco drawled. "I still say you've got a lot of witnesses here."

"Harry James Potter!" The screeching of his full name came from Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh fuck!" Harry exclaimed, somewhat fearfully.

"Don't you curse at me, young man.”

"I'd say she's figured out it was you," Draco drawled, moving to stand on the other side of Harry.

"Father!" Harry exclaimed, shooting a desperate look at Severus.

Severus simply smirked at him, though. "It doesn't matter if the truth comes out now, Harry," he said silkily.

Harry glared at him. "Thanks for your help," he spat sarcastically.

"After the stunt you pulled tonight, you don't deserve my help in getting out of this one," Severus said.

"Thank you, Severus," Molly said appreciatively.

"You're most welcome," Severus said with a curt nod, clearly enjoying this.

"Mum!" Fred and George both protested on behalf of Harry since Severus wouldn't. "You can't just go telling everyone what Harry did!"

"I want to know," Hermione shouted.

Harry glanced at her and realized that Ron had been revived but was staring a little dazedly at his mother. Ron obviously knew that whatever it was that had set his mother off like this, it wasn't good.

"Stop!" Harry yelled. His shout silenced all the whispers and the heated arguments going on amongst the Weasleys and some of the Gryffindors.

"Look, obviously I've been cleared to tell you everything," Harry said, shooting another glare at his father. "But I'm not about to stand here and allow everyone to pick apart my actions any longer."

"Oooh, way to take charge, Angel," Draco drawled.

"Merlin, Draco, you are as bad as your father," Harry snapped.

"Thank you," Draco said. "I'll take that as a great compliment since you get along with my father so well."

"Argh!" Harry yelled. "How did this get so out of control?"

"Oh, well that would be when Weasley figured out you've been dating me, Granger figured out you've been lying to her all this time, and Mrs. Weasley figured out that it was you that was meeting up with Voldemort," Draco answered innocently. "And you temporarily lost your confidence in the fear of facing Granger's and Mrs. Weasley's forthcoming tongue-lashing."

"You know, Draco," Harry said calmly. "You could just shut up now."

Draco smirked at him, but didn't say anything more. 

Harry rubbed his eyes tiredly, before gazing out at the crowd. "I think this was a huge mistake trying to explain things to everyone at once. I understand why everyone is wanting to lay into me for my actions, but I'm too tired to deal with it right now. And somehow, I don't particularly think all of you want to sit by while I get chewed out by everyone."

"We don't mind," Seamus shouted cheerfully.

"I think all of us deserve to hear what the hell you've been doing," Pansy shouted next.

Harry startled when he felt something hit the back of his legs. He looked down and realized that the sofa had been pulled forward. He glanced at Dumbledore.

"Go with your original plan, Harry," Dumbledore said kindly. "If you explain it now to everyone, you will not have to keep repeating yourself."

Harry nodded with a weary sigh. "So I can have them all yell at me at once and get it over with, you mean," he retorted.

"That, too," Dumbledore admitted, his merry countenance saying that all would be well in the end.

Draco tugged him back and Harry sat down. "All right. If everyone can refrain from yelling at me for a little while, then I'll explain what has been going on this year."

So, Harry went back and started explaining it all. His reasoning for hiding out this year. His growing relationship with his father and then Draco. The fight they'd had when Draco found out who Harry really was. Harry explained how he'd wanted to help the Slytherins and the Pensieve viewing at the beginning of the year. All of his plans for the DA and all of the extra training he put himself through.

He truly shocked the majority of the room when he explained what he'd chosen to do when Blaise had come to him with that letter in the fall. 

"Harry Potter turned into a Death Eater spy for us?" Pansy exclaimed loudly, her shock and disbelief clear in her tone.

Harry shrugged. "Yes, I didn't want to see all my new friends carted off to Voldemort when they were working so hard to avoid that life of servitude."

He tried to gloss over the meeting during the holidays, but Draco wouldn't let him. "If any of you still have any doubts as to what lengths he will go for all of you, then you need to hear exactly what he went through over the holidays," Draco declared, glaring at anyone who might by some chance be doubting Harry.

"Draco," Harry hissed. "They don't need to hear about that."

"Yes, they do," Draco snapped. "You know as well as I do that we're Slytherins and need to hear exactly what you did to protect all of us."

Harry sat back sulkily as Draco described exactly what had happened at that Death Eater meeting. Harry saw all the horrified gazes directed his way and wasn't particularly pleased that everyone was finding out exactly how good of a Death Eater he had been. Then again, he still had one more meeting to explain.

He didn't realize that most of those horrified gazes were because they were horrified that he'd put himself through all of that.

"You went through all of that for us?" Nott asked, still looking horrified.

"Yes." Harry shrugged uncomfortably.

"How could you put yourself through so much?" Susan Bones spoke up, much to Harry's surprise.

"Um, well, I had to do something," Harry explained. He went on to further explain his reasoning for doing what he had done.

Finally they got up to the events of the previous week and, as late as it was, everyone still looked wide awake and they were hanging on Harry's every word. 

He backtracked a little and briefly explained about Pettigrew, his link with Voldemort, and the prophecy. Then he went on to explain how Lucius had snuck him into Voldemort's lair, his conversations with Nagini and Pettigrew and the discovery of Merlin's journal.

He explained how it seemed to be similar to the Sorting Hat and deemed him worthy of reading it. He gazed at Dumbledore with a tired smile.

"You've been right all along," Harry said. "My emotions, and my ability to feel, ended up being my greatest strength after all. It's essentially my power. Merlin explains it all in his journal, for anyone who can read it. It's kind of like when I was able to get the stone because I wasn't wanting it for myself."

Dumbledore nodded his acknowledgement, looking intrigued with the new information.

"I wanted to access the journal and Merlin's spells, not for myself, but for those I loved and wanted to protect," Harry explained. "So, it somehow recognized that I wanted it for good, not evil, and it gave me the information I needed to defeat Voldemort once and for all."

Harry pointedly refrained from looking at his father and Lucius when he described how he'd changed the plans they'd made. He admitted that he'd taken a huge risk, both at the meeting and by leading the Death Eaters to Hogwarts.

He told them all how proud he was, and the confidence in them had been proven valid when the school pulled together and won out over Voldemort's followers. It didn't take much after that to explain how he'd slipped away afterwards to go back to defeat Voldemort with the Death Eaters out of the way.

"So, that was that and I simply Apparated back here," Harry said with a shrug. "Dumbledore wanted me to go to his office, but I wanted to explain things to everyone before it comes out garbled in the Daily Prophet in the morning. You deserved the truth."

"And it's the truth that the Wizarding world will hear," Dumbledore said, grinning broadly.

Harry looked at him curiously. Dumbledore waved his wand to reveal a couple of reporters. At Harry's glare, he was quick to explain that they were under oath to report only the truth, but that Harry would not be required to repeat all that he'd done and gone through to protect the Wizarding world. 

Harry sighed wearily, deciding that Dumbledore had a point. "I'm going to finally go to bed. I haven't exactly slept well for the last few days, as you've all just heard. Any yelling you wish to do can be done tomorrow, or whenever I decide to wake up again."

Dumbledore stood to address the Great Hall himself. "As I'm sure you've all easily guessed, regular classes have been cancelled for the time being. Everyone should get some rest and tomorrow night we will have a feast and true celebration."

In the ensuing chaos generated by Dumbledore's words, Draco grabbed Harry's hand and snuck him out the door that the teachers generally used, Severus and Lucius following along behind them. 

Harry simply allowed Draco to take charge and direct him at that point, too tired to care anymore. He passively allowed Draco to strip him down once they were back in their room and stepped into the pyjama bottoms Draco held out for him before collapsing into bed.


	47. Chapter 47

Harry didn't wake again until early afternoon the next day. 

"Hey, you're finally conscious," Draco said softly, coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

"If you say so," Harry grumbled.

He heard more than just Draco laughing and sat up to realize that Blaise and Neville were there as well. He blinked at them.

"Er, we're kind of hiding out in your room," Neville admitted.

"Hiding out?" Harry questioned.

"Yes, hiding out," Blaise said irritably. "Everybody's after us to answer questions since you two haven't made an appearance yet."

"But I thought everything pretty much got explained last night," Harry whinged.

Draco snorted. "Try telling Granger and Weasley or Pansy that," he said dryly.

Harry winced. "Um, how are they taking things?"

Neville gave him a sheepish look. "I don't know exactly."

"Why not?" Harry asked curiously.

Draco was snickering, simply confusing Harry more. 

"Because I hid out with Blaise in the Slytherin dorms last night," Neville admitted.

"Just trying to get from the dorm to your room was an absolute nightmare," Blaise said.

"Severus got Dobby to bring us some lunch here," Draco admitted. "I wasn't about to go anywhere without you anyway, but especially not after these two showed up here late this morning."

"How are our fathers doing?" Harry asked worriedly.

Draco shrugged. "Well enough physically, although certainly still sore. My father seems to be taking this in stride, but Severus . . . " he trailed off.

"He's irritated as all fuck because of the uproar," Harry finished for him.

"Pretty much," Draco agreed, smirking at Harry. "It might have something to do with the fact that he's now officially proclaimed the father of the Boy-Who-Lived-Twice."

"What?!" Harry squawked.

"Draco made the paper, too," Blaise sing-songed.

Draco's smirk immediately turned into a scowl.

"Another reputation issue," Neville explained with a grin.

"Oh yes!" Blaise declared. "Isn't it wonderful that Harry Potter found himself a boyfriend who's obviously so loving and supportive? Draco Malfoy, who redeems himself by willingly facing You-Know-Who to protect his friends," he proclaimed grandly.

"Oh, Merlin," Harry breathed, slowly trying to scoot away from Draco.

"You're not going anywhere," Draco drawled.

Harry winced. "You know I love you, right?"

"Sure, now that you've officially turned me into a good guy," Draco retorted.

"Hey now! That's not fair!" Harry protested. "I loved you before any of this."

Draco sniffed in disdain. "And why should I believe that?"

Harry tilted his head thoughtfully. "Because I still know that you're actually a snarky bastard underneath this new good guy persona?"

Draco gave him a smug grin before rewarding Harry with a passionate kiss. Harry broke away laughing when he heard Neville muttering. "Now isn’t that the truth."

"See, even Neville knows who you really are," Harry said proudly. "So, your reputation is safe amongst your friends and family."

Draco gave a dramatic sigh of relief, causing them all to laugh.

After a shower, food and a check on his father, which Harry quickly returned from looking much paler than when he'd left, the four were once again sitting in Harry's room discussing the papers and what was likely to happen now. They all knew it was going to be crazy for a while.

"What exactly did Severus say to you?" Draco asked warily.

Harry snorted. "I'm not sure he actually said anything clearly. He ranted and raved about my foolishness, getting him injured, the idiot papers. You name it, and he yelled it. Lucius thankfully shooed me out of there."

"You'd think he'd be happy," Blaise frowned.

"Oh, he is," Harry said with a small smile. "He's just not comfortable with all this sudden publicity. He's very much used to being in the shadows. He's happy that we're both free now, but this sudden limelight is a bit much."

"I understand how he feels," Draco said ruefully.

Harry shrugged. "You understand how I've always felt now. This is going to be even worse than before, but I figure things have got to die down again eventually."

They lapsed into silence as they each tried to determine how long 'eventually' was. They looked up when the connecting door suddenly opened. "You've got a visitor," Severus said, glaring at Harry. 

"Who?" Harry asked warily, not understanding or liking the look his father was giving him, but getting up anyway.

"Lupin," Severus snapped irritably. "You can meet with him in your own room."

Severus stepped back, allowing Remus to step past the doorway. Harry stood frozen in place, honestly not sure what to do.

"Harry?" Remus asked, and Harry heard the uncertainty in his tone. It allowed Harry to move again and he rushed forward to give Remus a hug, immediately being enfolded in the man's arms. 

"Merlin, I've been so worried about you," Remus said, stroking Harry's hair.

They both jumped when the door slammed suddenly. Harry looked from the door to Remus and back again before realization it. "Excuse me, Remus," Harry said, sudden fury threatening to overtake him. 

"Go," Remus agreed quietly.

Harry ripped the connecting door open and stormed into his father's sitting room. "What the fuck was that all about?" he demanded, stalking over to stand directly in front of his father where he'd sat in his chair.

"Don't you have company?" Severus sneered at him.

"Yes, and I'd actually like to be able to talk with Remus," Harry snapped.

"Then why aren't you?" Severus said coldly.

"Don't be this way," Harry ground out.

"Just go talk with your company," Severus said.

"So, what, you're just going to drop me now?" Harry asked. "Now that I can finally be myself, you're just going to step back and leave me on my own again? I'm sure you've reasoned that now that I can have Remus back, I don't need you anymore. Or is this an issue about my fucking fame? I thought you were just upset about suddenly being in the public eye, but that's not what you were so upset about, was it? You're trying to push me away before I can push you away. You're worried that Remus is going to try to take over." 

Harry was shouting angrily, furious that Severus was being this way. 

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Severus bellowed.

"Don't I?" Harry asked. "Then you explain to me why you're treating me this way all of a sudden. I thought we were long past all of this. This can't seriously be about everything that happened when you and Remus were in school."

"Oh, can't it?" Severus asked, glaring coldly.

"What the fuck, Father?" Harry asked, angry tears threatening. "You're trying to force me to choose between you or something? You knew the day would come when I could tell everyone again. I swear, we've talked about Remus and I thought you were fine. You've known that I missed him."

Severus continued to glare at him, but had clearly decided to refuse saying anything more.

"Fine, be that way!" Harry shouted. He turned and started to go back to his room, and saw Remus and Draco staring at him in shock. He whirled and slammed out of his father's rooms and into the corridor, not wanting to face anyone now, not wanting to choose. He ran, but didn't go far, slipping into a little-known side room further down the corridor. He reached for his wand to put up locking charms and realized he didn't even have it with him.

He leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, trying to figure out what had just happened. He slowly slid down the wall and dropped his forehead to his knees, finally allowing the tears to fall. 

He just didn't understand it. Except for arguments about his training or Voldemort issues, they hadn't fought like that for months. Not since he'd first gone to live with Severus. Even then it had never been quite like this. His father was treating him the same way he had before the summer.

Harry was forced to admit that his father had been cold and angry with him even before Remus had shown up. He had just written it off as all the publicity.

He jerked his head up when the door opened and saw Lucius slipping quietly into the room. "What do you want?" Harry asked coldly.

Lucius lifted a brow and calmly stepped into the room and sat down at an old, unused desk with a minor look of distaste at all the dust.

"You mean I'm not going to turn into your enemy again, too, now that the news of Voldemort's death is out?" Harry spat sarcastically.

"Would you like me to be?" Lucius asked calmly.

Harry looked up at him, startled by the question. "No, why would I want you as my enemy?" he protested.

"Good," Lucius said with smug satisfaction. 

Harry was reminded again how much Draco was like his father, and looked at the man irritably. "Yay, so we're not enemies. That's good to know, Lucius," he said sarcastically. "It just doesn't explain why my father is treating me like the enemy again."

"Perhaps your father has been in fight mode for more years than you've been alive. His main enemy is suddenly gone, but you and Lupin are still around, both admittedly enemies of his past," Lucius said.

"But you're an enemy of my past," Harry said, still very much confused. "But just because Voldemort's gone now, doesn't mean I want to make you my enemy again."

"No, and Severus does not wish to make you, or even Lupin, his enemy again," Lucius agreed.

"Then why is he being this way?" Harry asked plaintively. "I don't understand."

"Fighting an enemy is what your father does in defence mode. When he woke this morning, he became fearful for many of those reasons you were shouting about a short time ago. He is fearful that you will decide that you do not need him anymore. He is fearful that Lupin will want to take you away from him. He is fearful that now that his enemy is gone, his purpose in life has been fulfilled. He's helped you to defeat the Dark Lord and worries that he is not needed any more.”

"But none of that's true," Harry protested.

"He, however, does not know that," Lucius said. "He has only known his son for less than a year. A year, during which, there has been little more than war strategy and training."

"We've had more than that," Harry cried out. "At least, I thought we did. And what about Draco? Is he just going to think my feelings for him were about the war, too? He knows very well that we've used our relationship to our advantage in many ways over the months."

"You know my son better than that," Lucius said sharply.

"Yeah, well, I thought I knew my father, too," Harry retorted. "I fucking defeated Voldemort and why the fuck does he need me anymore? Why does anyone actually need me anymore? We all know that was my purpose in life, don't we?" he spat out angrily, knowing he was being irrational, but hurting because of his father's rejection.

Lucius glared at him. "Harry, you know better than that.”

Harry turned away. "Do I?" he asked quietly. "He's the one rejecting me, not the other way around."

"He's not rejecting you," Lucius said softly.

Harry refused to look at him. "You want to know something? Last night, after you'd both given me a hug before sending me up to give everyone the news about Voldemort, I was thinking that I finally had two parents. Two parents who were truly proud of me.”

He swallowed hard. "Then I saw Remus earlier, and I thought he accepted me and it felt so good. He's never been allowed to act as a parent to me, but he's certainly like another godfather. Defeating Voldemort was supposed to bring my life together, not tear it apart," he explained. "Although, now I'm wondering how I could have ever thought that was possible."

"It's possible, Harry," Lucius interjected.

"Is it?" Harry scoffed. "My father is already flipping out on me. I'm already stuck between him and Remus. Draco's freaking out because of all the 'bad publicity' he's getting. I haven't even faced Ron and Hermione yet, or any of the Weasleys. They were about the only family I had the last few years, but everyone knows how you feel about the Weasleys and how they feel about you. Somehow, I don't see that going over particularly well.”

He sighed. "No wonder Father's angry, with all the foolish Gryffindors that could be invading his life if they actually forgive me, ironically enough, for all my Slytherin behaviour," he said, not even trying to hold back the tears that were flowing freely down his cheeks.

"You tell me what the hell made me think that I could merge the two halves of my life together after Voldemort was gone," he said bitterly.

"And here I thought you were a strong, young man willing to fight for what you wanted," Lucius said sardonically.

"Well, you were wrong," Harry retorted. "I'm a mental case who needs to be carted off to St. Mungo's because I think too much."

Lucius stared at him incredulously for a few moments before he started laughing.

Harry looked up at him a bit sheepishly, a slight smile developing.

"At least you recognize when you are going a bit over the top," Lucius drawled, still chuckling a little. 

Harry shrugged self-consciously. "Draco's always giving me a hard time about thinking too much," he admitted.

"I may have heard him mention it a time or two," Lucius said, but then he went on more seriously. "Harry, your 'thinking too much' has obviously had its advantages. I'm not sure that your father has realized it yet, but your ability to think is what allowed you to form and pull off your plans last night. Without all the thinking you've done, regarding Voldemort's habits in particular, you never would have been able to succeed.”

He gave Harry a small, proud smile, reminded once again that it was all over. "However, when it comes to relationships, I believe Draco is right, that it tends to become a disadvantage for you. You have a tendency to lose your confidence. Unfortunately, your father is similar to you in this manner. I didn't help matters so many years ago when I left him. It's been far different circumstances, but you have never had lasting relationships in your life, either."

Lucius paused for a moment, attempting to gather his thoughts. "Because of your past histories, you are both fearful of losing someone so important to you, yet again. Your father has had twice as long as you to develop defences."

"So, you're saying I need to be the stronger person and go to him," Harry said.

Lucius smirked. "I discovered many months ago that you may have periodic bouts of teenage emotions, but overall you tend to behave far more like an adult than most adults I know."

Harry snorted. "Which I believe translates to mean that my father is performing his own little teenage tantrum at the moment, and I'm supposed to go reassure him this time."

Lucius chuckled. "I did not say that, and I will deny it if you try to say I did."

Harry shuddered lightly. "I'm certainly not telling him that anybody said that."

Lucius smiled, but then he became serious once again. "Harry, all I'm really saying is that it is perfectly normal for people, teenagers or adults, to need a little reassurance now and then. You and your father have a tendency to need a little more reassurance than normal because of very extenuating circumstances."

"I feel like such a freak sometimes," Harry muttered.

"That is part of your past speaking," Lucius said sharply. "And precisely part of the reason why you tend to need a little more reassurance. It is not a reflection on you as a person."

"Sure, and that's why I'm here bawling like a baby instead of out celebrating like the rest of the Wizarding world, because I'm not a freak," Harry said sarcastically.

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Do you really believe that?"

Harry looked up at him. "No, not really," he admitted with a small smile. "Although sometimes things get to me like they have this afternoon. I just have to work harder to work myself out of the negative thinking again."

"Harry, I would worry far more about you if you managed to handle everything perfectly," Lucius said. 

Harry looked at him curiously. "I don't understand," he admitted.

"You handle extreme situations amazingly well. Possibly better than anyone I know, including myself," Lucius admitted dryly.

Harry blinked at him, unable to believe he was hearing this from Lucius Malfoy.

Lucius quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly. "How many people do you know who would even attempt to pull off what you did, and without showing an ounce of fear?" he asked. "I would not even swear to it that you even felt real fear last night."

Harry shrugged. "Um, no, not really. I was too busy trying to pull everything off. I got angry, but not really afraid."

"Exactly," Lucius said. "Anyone else would have been deathly afraid, and I certainly don't know anyone else who would attempt what you did. You handled that extreme situation, if not flawlessly, then amazingly well. I could give any number of other examples where you've performed with poise, confidence and strength. You are not perfect, though. You've been performing under an unbelievable amount of stress all year. It is to be expected that the stress will get to you a little now and then."

"So, it's all right to get a little stressed out, even if it makes me sound like a freak?" Harry asked.

"It does not make you sound like a freak," Lucius said sharply. "It makes you sound human."

"Normal," Harry said softly.

Lucius inclined his head, knowing enough about Harry to understand the importance he tended to place on that word. "Yes, normal."

They were both quiet for several minutes as Harry attempted to pull himself, and his thoughts, together.

"How come you're here anyway?" Harry asked curiously. "Do I dare ask what was happening back there?"

Lucius snorted. "We'll simply hope that they haven't killed each other off," he drawled.

Harry's eyes widened. "You seriously left them all alone?"

"I ordered Severus and Lupin to get over their differences, then ordered Draco to stay and attempt to keep them from killing each other," Lucius said.

"Merlin," Harry breathed. "And I thought you knew them."

Lucius chuckled. "I believe I already mentioned that I hope that they haven't killed each other off by now."

"Well, now that you've helped me put my head on straight again and deal with all my insecurities, I suppose I should go back and . . . do something," Harry said.

"Glad to see your confidence has returned," Lucius smirked at him.

"Thanks," Harry said sarcastically, getting to his feet again. "You know, with the Dursleys raising me, my father and Draco both making my life hell for my first five years here, you trying to kill me off periodically, Dumbledore trying to control my life and Voldemort trying to end it—I've actually turned out pretty sane overall, considering all that and where I'm at now in my life."

Lucius smiled at him warmly. "Yes, Harry, a few periodic bursts of insecurity, and those generally only exhibited in front of family, are nothing compared to the confidence and strength you display the majority of the time."

Harry smiled and turned to leave.

Lucius stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and when Harry turned back to look at him questioningly, Lucius pulled him into a tight hug. "I'd be proud to call you my son," he whispered quietly.

Harry breathed in sharply, having forgot that while he was upset he'd told Lucius that he felt like he had two parents now. Harry hugged him back, amazed to be where he was, but extremely grateful all the same.

~*~*~*~

With Lucius helping Harry regain his equilibrium again, Harry felt much more prepared to face his father and Remus. He said the password and walked confidently into his father's sitting room, Lucius coming in behind him.

Draco rushed over to him and pulled him into a hug. "Are you all right?" Draco whispered.

"I'm fine now," Harry said. Draco was looking him over worriedly. His fingers came up to brush against the dried tear tracks on Harry's cheeks. 

"You don't look fine," Draco said in concern.

Harry brought his lips to Draco's, brushing against them gently at first until their mouths parted in a mutual, unspoken agreement, deepening the kiss. Harry was finding this much more relaxing than the talk with Lucius, and tightened his arms around Draco's waist, bringing them closer together. Draco's hands moved from Harry's cheeks to twine in Harry's hair.

"I'm sure Harry is doing much better now that you're providing him with a little stress relief," Lucius drawled.

"Yes, much better now," Harry agreed, as Draco trailed light kisses across his jaw and down his neck.

"Harry?" came the questioning voice, and Draco backed away. Harry still had to deal with his father and Remus. 

"Yes, Remus?" Harry asked, looking over to the man who was seated on the couch.

"You have quite the boyfriend, don't you?" he asked, his tone somewhere between wonder and curiosity.

"His boyfriend is an impertinent brat," Severus retorted.

"Um, Draco, what exactly went on in here?" Harry asked warily.

"Nothing?" Draco asked innocently.

"Draco," Harry said warningly.

"All right, I simply told them what I felt about their fighting," Draco drawled.

"You told my father off?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Why not? You tell yours and mine off all the time," Draco answered.

Harry heard Lucius chuckling behind him, but he ignored him. "But that was usually only with anything in regards to the war," Harry said, remaining wide-eyed.

Draco snorted. "Well, this was just as important," he retorted.

"He's right," Severus commented softly before Harry could respond again.

Harry slowly turned to look at his father.

"Come here," Severus commanded quietly.

Harry walked over to his father. When Severus opened his arms, Harry gladly curled up on his father's lap, burying his face in his father's robes.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Severus said quietly, holding on to Harry tightly.

"Me, too," Harry muffled into Severus' chest. Nothing more was said between them or anyone else for several minutes, until Harry finally sat up again.

"Harry," Severus began uncertainly.

"It's all right, Father. Lucius already talked to me and helped me sort everything out," Harry said.

"Did he now?" Severus said, quirking an eyebrow at Lucius.

Harry shot a smirk at Lucius, but Lucius caught him. "Harry, don't you dare," Lucius snapped.

"I didn't say a word," Harry said, laughing at Lucius. "But if you'd like, I could explain teenage tantrums to him."

Lucius glared at Harry as he slid off his father's lap. "Um, I think I'm just going to take Remus and Draco back to my room now, if that's all right?"

Severus waved him off dismissively. "By all means. I think I need to have a little chat with Lucius."

Harry was at the connecting door when he suddenly turned back and gave his father another quick hug. "What was that for?" Severus asked.

"I just wanted to say I love you and that I'm glad you're my father," Harry said.

Severus smiled. "Thank you. I love you, too, Harry."

Harry shut the door behind him quietly then turned to face his smirking boyfriend. "Merlin, Draco, what the fuck did you do to them while I was gone?"

Remus answered. "Basically, he told Severus off quite thoroughly for hurting you," he said conversationally. "I must confess that it was quite an amusing sight."

"I have the feeling that I'm glad I missed it," Harry said.

Remus stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Harry, as I said before, I think you've found yourself quite an amazing boyfriend. It is not just anyone who would stand up to Severus for the sake of your feelings."

"Yeah, I know," Harry said softly, smiling at Draco, who was still smirking with smug satisfaction.

"I've been worried sick about you, but I can see now that you've been in good hands," Remus said warmly.

"So, you're all right with Severus being my father?" Harry asked a little nervously.

"I've always known that Severus was a good man," Remus said quietly. "I think perhaps it is that he's not always known himself that he was a good man."

Harry blinked at him in surprise. "Wow, I think you know him a lot better than I realized."

"Come on. Let's at least sit down," Draco said. "Angel, don't you have any manners at all?"

"Excuse me? The only guests we ever have are Blaise and Neville and I certainly don't stand on ceremony for them," Harry retorted.

"Hey!" the two boys in question protested.

Harry glanced over and realized they were still there. "You two been here waiting all this time?"

"Well, we weren't about to follow you into the middle of that fight, and we're still not about to go out into the school yet, so yes, we're still here," Blaise answered cheerfully.

"Ah, I see you've attempted to brave the school at least once," Remus said knowingly.

"We only made it from the Slytherin dorms to here and decided it was far too dangerous to go any further," Blaise said with a shudder.

"It will likely be somewhat overwhelming for you, Harry, when you do finally make an appearance again," Remus warned.

"Do I really have to go out there at all?" Harry asked with a slight shudder.

"You might as well and get it over with," Draco drawled.

"I suppose," Harry said, unconvinced.

They shifted into explaining to Remus how Harry was really doing and how he was adjusting to everything. They spent the next hour fairly comfortably. As Remus was preparing to leave, however, Harry stopped him.

"Um, Remus? Could you do me a favour and find Ron, Hermione, Pansy, and Seamus for me and send them here?" Harry asked. "I really need to talk to them before I even think about going to the feast."

Remus agreed and tried to reassure Harry that it would be all right. Harry was certainly not convinced of that, but he appreciated Remus trying.

A short time later there was a knock at the portrait and Harry nervously went to go let them in. The next thing he knew, he was caught up in a tight hug from Hermione. 

Harry hugged her back fiercely. 

"Oh, Harry, I'm so glad you're back and you're safe. Well, you're not really back since you've been here all along. But I didn't actually know you were here and I was so worried. I'm so glad you're here and that you're really all right," she babbled. 

Draco looked at her wryly. "I'm not sure how all right he'll be if you continue to cut off his air supply.”

At that, she did loosen her grip some, but she didn't let go. She looked up into Harry's eyes. "I've missed you, you know."

"I know, Hermione," Harry replied. "I've missed you, too. I've been able to make friends with you again, but it's not been the same. We've got so much history that I've been forced to ignore all year."

"Yeah, mate," Ron said. "I suppose there is too much history to just start ignoring you now. But you've still got some explaining to do," he scowled.

Harry ignored Ron's scowl and pulled him into a group hug with him and Hermione. "Merlin, I've missed you guys," he breathed. They stayed like that for a minute, leaning on each other and foreheads touching. 

Draco decided to speak up again. "Well, if it isn't the Golden Trio back together again," he drawled.

"Oh, shut up, you," Harry said affectionately. They did separate finally, though, and Harry realized Pansy and Seamus were standing there also now. He turned to Pansy with a question in his eyes. She offered him a wry smile and Harry swept her up into a hug, too.

"Let me down," Pansy squealed. "You've been spending far too much time with Blaise."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Harry said, grinning at her as he set her down again.

She shook her head ruefully. "I can't believe Blaise is one of your best friends. I can't believe Harry Potter is one of _my_ best friends."

"Is that a problem?" Harry asked, suddenly nervous again.

Pansy glanced around at the others in the room before looking at Harry again. "No, I think I feel quite honoured to be associated with the Conqueror," she said cheekily.

Harry groaned as the others laughed. Draco shifted on the sofa so Harry could sit down and lean back against him. The newcomers all sat down as well.

"Are you two really okay with all this?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione quietly.

Ron’s eyes flicked towards Hermione before he sighed heavily. "Yeah. Can't say that I understand all of it, but we're all right."

Harry smirked at Hermione, who was beaming proudly at Ron. "You've been working on him all day, haven't you?"

Hermione shrugged slightly as she smiled at Harry. "I wasn't exactly happy at first, but I had all night to think about everything you said. I'm still a little upset that you didn't tell us, but I can also understand why you didn't."

"And she beat it into me all day," Ron muttered.

Harry grinned as the others snickered quietly. "I'm glad you guys aren't too mad at me. I've missed you both terribly."

Draco snorted. "I can certify that he's missed you two. Thank Merlin I don't have to listen to his guilt trips regarding the both of you anymore."

Ron shook his head bemusedly, staring at Harry and Draco relaxed together on the sofa. "Malfoy's had to listen to you whinge about missing us?" he asked Harry.

Harry smiled ruefully. "Yes. Draco listens to me whinge about anything and everything."

"Wow, bet you found that rough," Ron said, grinning at Draco.

Draco grimaced. "It's been a challenge."

"Ah, but you love a challenge," Harry said, twisting to give Draco a kiss.

"I love you," Draco said wryly. "It means I put up with an awful lot."

"I'm not sure which of you has changed more this year," Ron said, eyeing them both bemusedly.

"I think we've all changed over this last year. For the better," Harry said quietly.


	48. Chapter 48

"You two know that we're all going to be late, right?" Ron asked.

"Of course they know," Blaise answered with a wide grin. "You think they're actually going to be on time for this thing?"

"But Harry's the guest of honour," Hermione protested. "He should be on time."

Harry snorted as he buttoned up his formal robes. "Better to be late than to be mobbed on the way there. This way, at least everyone should already be seated in the Great Hall."

"Oh, well, that makes sense," Ron said. "So, how does it feel to be such a hero?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

Harry rolled his eyes. "It's ridiculous. I just want to get this whole thing over with."

"At least you've learned how to make speeches," Hermione said reasonably.

"Yeah, I guess. Father says I'm good at them because I can relate to people," Harry answered absently, searching for his boots.

"You know, I can understand you with Malfoy better than I can understand you as Snape's son," Seamus said conversationally.

"Yeah, me too," Ron agreed.

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked, pausing to frown at the two of them.

Seamus shrugged. "We've seen you with Malfoy all year. Um, seen quite a bit of you with Malfoy, actually," he said with a lascivious grin.

Harry smirked at him. "I suppose you have."

"No, not going there," Ron said, looking a little green. "Gods, I can't believe that was actually you, Harry."

"Hey, I wasn't the only one doing anything at that party," Harry protested, amused with Ron's discomfort.

Ron and Hermione were both flushed a brilliant red. Hermione quickly spoke up. "We were discussing how we don't really see that much of you with Snape."

"Yeah," Ron quickly agreed. "I mean, he's been better this year, overall, but he's still a right snarky bastard."

Harry smiled. "He is a snarky bastard," he agreed. "But he's not so bad as he makes himself out to be." He joined the others to wait for Draco, having found his boots finally.

"Harry? You really are happy, aren't you?" Hermione asked softly.

"Yes," Harry answered, his voice just as soft. "I've got my father and Lucius. What I would do without Draco, I have no idea. I've got all my friends and, now that Voldemort's gone, I'm finally free to live my life. No more hiding."

"Wow, Harry Potter and Lucius Malfoy getting along," Pansy said, shaking her head. "Sure didn't see that one coming."

Harry laughed along with the others. "I didn't see any of this coming when I left school last year."

"You lot ready to go?" Draco drawled.

Harry grinned. "Ready as I'll ever be."

The group of eight made their way through the dungeons and up to the Great Hall. The noise could be heard long before they got there. They stepped inside and quickly realized that the room was completely filled with people. Harry had thought the huge room was crowded the night before, but he'd obviously been wrong.

Loud cheering broke out as people saw them. Harry sighed. This was going to be another long night. But then he looked at Draco, who was smiling at him.

"Enjoy it and celebrate," Draco said quietly. "You've got more reason to celebrate than any of them."

Harry slowly smiled. Draco was right. He could choose to be upset about all the attention and hero worship, or he could choose to relax and celebrate along with everyone else. Once he made the decision to relax and simply go with the flow, the entire evening became much more bearable.

Dumbledore had obviously anticipated the group of eight friends to be coming in together, because there was a table set for them on the raised platform at the front of the Hall. Once they were settled, Dumbledore only said a few words before the meal was served.

The Hall was a chaos of chatter as everyone ate, enjoying the sumptuous feast. Harry simply relaxed and enjoyed being able to completely be himself for the first time all year. Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Neville continued to answer their friends' questions about what had been going on throughout the year. Blaise especially seemed to relish telling stories about Harry and Draco, entertaining them all.

Eventually, remnants of the meal were cleared from the tables and Dumbledore stood again to address the crowd. He said little of substance, but thanked all the Ministry officials, the Order members, parents and family members, and everyone else who had come to celebrate. He announced that a grand fireworks display had been planned for them with the help of Fred and George. They would retire to the grounds, but first Harry was called up to make a speech.

He stood and moved to stand in the centre of the platform, gazing out at the sea of people. He was very thankful that he'd grown used to making speeches over the last year, recognizing that a year ago he would have been panicking in a situation like this. At this point, though, he had some things he wanted to say.

"I'm happy to see everyone here to celebrate tonight," he began. "This night has been a long time in coming. It has been expected of me to defeat Voldemort since I was a year old, and I've finally accomplished the task that was set upon my shoulders. I'm sure many people will look upon me with hero worship, but you are wrong to look at me as the Saviour of the Wizarding World." The crowd that had been looking at him with awe now looked confused.

"I cast the final blow against Voldemort, but I certainly did not do this alone. There _are_ many who sat back and did nothing more than expect a young boy to rid them of the menace that threatened us. However, there were entire groups of individuals that helped make Voldemort's defeat possible." He knew that he was essentially insulting a lot of people for their complacency, but he felt this needed to be said.

"You all know that Albus Dumbledore has put forth much effort and I'm sure many of you applaud his efforts, which he deserves. He formed the Order of the Phoenix many years ago, a group of people who have worked in any way they could to thwart Voldemort's evil plans. If all of the members of the Order of the Phoenix could please stand," he requested. Many of them looked a little nervous, but stood slowly. Harry smirked. "You, too, Moody. We may not have always agreed, but you've worked as hard as any of the others."

There was a round of laughter amongst the Order members, as Moody scowled at Harry. "Boy, you're lucky you are who you are," he growled.

"I am lucky," Harry agreed, still smirking at Moody.

Moody shook his head and finally gave Harry a twisted smile. "You've done good."

"Thank you," Harry answered graciously.

Harry addressed the crowd again. "These people have worked quietly, receiving little recognition for all that they've done. Right now, I recognize all of them." He began clapping and the entire Hall joined him, loud cheers filling the Hall. He noticed that his father and Lucius hadn't stood, but that was all right with him, since he planned to recognize them separately anyway.

Indicating that the Order members could sit down, Harry moved on. 

"I would like to be able to recognize the Ministry for their efforts in the war against Voldemort, but unfortunately, the Ministry as a whole did very little to aid the efforts," he said, shocking everyone. Even those that agreed with Harry had trouble believing that he was outright saying it. "In fact, thanks to Minister Fudge, the Ministry has been far more of a hindrance than a help."

"How can you say that?" Fudge exclaimed angrily, standing up to yell at Harry.

Harry shrugged. "I am only telling the truth."

"Truth," Fudge spat. "You've admitted you've been telling lies for the last year."

"I have," Harry agreed, his voice calm and even. "But now, Voldemort is gone and it is time for the truth to be told. And the truth is, you refused to recognize the fact that Voldemort had returned. Albus, my father, and myself, we all tried to tell you the truth in the infirmary the night Voldemort returned, but you refused to accept it."

"I don't have to stand here and listen to this drivel," Fudge snapped angrily.

"So leave," Harry suggested pleasantly. "My recommendation is that you step down from your position as well."

"Why should I listen to you?" Fudge exclaimed incredulously.

A wicked grin slowly spread over Harry's features, as Lucius stepped up beside him. Lucius' silent presence had Fudge looking wildly between the two of them. 

"Perhaps you should listen to my recommendation because I know more truths than you've realized," Harry said cheerfully.

Lucius calmly put an arm around Harry's shoulders in a show of support, causing Fudge's eyes to bulge. The man looked frantically around the Hall, seeming to search for any sign of support for himself, and found none.

"You will find the doors leading out of the castle right over there, Cornelius," Dumbledore said helpfully, pointing at the main doors.

The crowd of people shifted, giving Fudge a clear path out of the Great Hall. Fudge glared at Harry and Lucius, but turned and stalked out of the Hall amidst loud cheering.

"Thanks, Lucius," Harry said quietly.

"You're quite welcome," Lucius responded graciously. "I think that just might be the last we see of the bumbling fool."

"Let's hope so," Harry muttered.

Lucius squeezed his shoulder before returning to his seat.

Everyone was gazing at Harry expectantly. It was one hell of a speech when one could insult half the Wizarding world for doing nothing and then send the Minister himself packing.

"Now, as I was saying, there were many people involved who deserve recognition," Harry continued like nothing significant had happened. "The DA was a group designed to help the students prepare, and every single student in this school has worked hard."

Harry smiled warmly at the students all sitting at the house tables. "I am incredibly proud of all the hard work you've put in this year. I am sure that many will criticize me for leading the Death Eaters to Hogwarts last night. It was an extremely risky thing to do, I admit. I wouldn't have done it, though, if I did not have complete faith in your abilities to protect and defend yourselves, each other, and the school. It is all of you, along with the professors, who deserve the credit for having defeated the Death Eaters."

He beamed at them proudly. "As students, most considered us too young to be able to do anything significant. I was told that I should stay out of things and let the adults handle it. You've proven that no matter who you are, how old or young you are, no matter what talents and skills you may have, you can do something to help. You should all be proud of yourselves. It wouldn't have been possible without everyone's united effort." He applauded them all, and the shouts and cheering lasted for several minutes as the students congratulated themselves and each other.

Gradually, everyone was focused on Harry again. "There is another group of people that have had a significant impact. Draco, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Blaise, Pansy, Seamus, Ginny, Dean, Luna, Vincent, Greg, and Theodore. As I mentioned last night, this group helped capture the group of Death Eaters over the holidays. They also played a huge role in helping to capture the Death Eaters last night."

Harry glanced at his friends and searched out each one of the remaining members in the crowd. The task was easy considering that they'd all stood as Harry called their names. "This group of students trained harder than anyone I know this year. We all owe them our thanks and appreciation for all that they've done."

Harry didn't have a chance to say anything else before the crowd was again screaming out their approval. He grinned at his friends' embarrassment. He was bound and determined to share all the attention.

When things quieted down and everyone was seated again, he pointed out the efforts of years past. He described all the ways that Ron and Hermione had helped him over the years. How they had helped him all those times he'd had to deal with the various forms of Voldemort. He made sure that he recognized Ginny, Neville and Luna as well, particularly for their help at the Department of Mysteries.

"There are three people, who I'm not so sure they want the recognition, but they deserve it," Harry said, smirking at his father and Lucius before glancing back at Draco. All three were glaring at him.

He turned his back on their glares and addressed the crowd. "I've already explained last night how Draco, Lucius and my father have worked to help bring down Voldemort. Lucius and Severus have both played their roles as spies. On top of that, they've spent many, many long hours helping Draco and I with extra training. Without the three of them, I'm not sure I would've survived this last year," he said quietly. "And I don't just mean surviving Voldemort. They've supported me in every way possible."

He paused, honestly not sure what exactly he wanted to say, suddenly at a loss for words to express his gratitude. He smiled softly when Draco came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. Harry leaned back into Draco's comforting warmth and closed his eyes for a few moments.

They didn't know it at the time, but the picture of the two of them standing so peacefully together would soon be gracing the front page of the Daily Prophet and every Wizarding newspaper and magazine out there.

"I don't know what to say, Draco," Harry whispered.

"Just say what's in your heart, Harry," Draco whispered back.

The room remained silent, everyone simply watching the two of them.

Harry stayed where he was, but opened his eyes to gaze at all of the people gathered there. He took a deep breath and began again, his voice soft, but carrying over the silence to everyone. "Draco, Severus and Lucius are my family. It's not something I would have expected a year ago, and I'm sure many of you will find it very hard to believe.

"I've gained a family I didn't expect, but that doesn't mean that I've forgotten the others. James and Lily Potter will never be forgotten for their sacrifices. Sirius Black, my godfather," he paused, taking a deep breath before he could continue, tears forming in his eyes. "Sirius will always hold a special place in my heart."

Swallowing heavily, Harry was grateful for Draco's arms still wrapped tightly around him. "When you wish to rave about what I accomplished, I ask that you remember that it wasn't me alone that defeated Voldemort. All of us made sacrifices in one way or another. And some sacrificed their very lives."

Silence reigned for several long minutes. Harry's head was bowed, and tears flowed freely. There was not a dry eye in the room as everyone remembered those who had been lost. Harry brushed the tears away before speaking again.

"If there is a theme to tonight's celebrations, it is freedom. Freedom means many different things. I'm sure many of you are thinking about the fact that we are free from Voldemort and the terror he brought to the Wizarding world. And this is true. We are free now to live our lives without fear," he said, looking out at the crowd of people, many of whom were nodding their heads in agreement.

"For me, freedom means more than just that. I am finally free to live my life as I see fit. I am free to be myself." He paused briefly. "When it comes to who I am as a person, many of you are likely wondering what name to even call me anymore. I am known as Harry Potter and I am known as Dustin Snape. I am proud to be known by both names," he said, his tone filled with the very pride he was speaking of.

Then he shifted slightly in Draco's arms, turning his head to smirk at his boyfriend. "Maybe at some point I can add Malfoy to my list of names that I feel honoured to have."

He smiled at Draco's gobsmacked expression, and kissed him gently on the cheek, before turning back to face all of the amused expressions.

"We came here together tonight to celebrate Voldemort's demise. I say we focus on celebrating our freedom." He grinned widely at everyone. "So, who's ready to celebrate their freedom?"

The Great Hall was filled with shouts of approval. Dumbledore was hard pressed to get everyone's attention again so that he could direct them all outside.

Harry led a still stunned Draco off to the side.

"Draco?" Harry asked in concern. He was thinking he might have made a huge mistake saying anything like that.

Draco blinked at him dazedly. "You want to bond with me?"

"I know we haven't talked about it or anything, and I suppose we're awfully young still. And certainly I haven't asked properly." Harry was rambling and knew it, but couldn't seem to stop himself. Draco's dazed expression was worrying him. "But Voldemort's gone now and so all that pressure is gone. I really can't imagine what I would do without you in my life. You're more important to me than anyone. I was just thinking that it'd be kind of nice to be officially bonded. But not if it's not what you want –" 

He stopped abruptly when Draco pushed him against the wall and brought his lips crashing down on Harry's mouth. Now Harry was the one feeling stunned, but his lips parted automatically as Draco's tongue invaded his mouth.

Harry's hands came up to thread through Draco's silky locks, luxuriating in the feeling of Draco's body pressed up against him, trapping him against the stone wall. He tried arching off the wall, but Draco held his hips firmly. Harry still felt rewarded, however, when Draco pressed his body even closer. 

Draco rotated his hips slightly, causing Harry to groan deeply. This was not exactly a good time or place, and he still had no idea what Draco was thinking, but if Draco didn't stop soon, Harry wasn't so sure that he himself would be able to.

Despite that, he still whimpered when Draco suddenly pulled back slightly.

Draco smirked at him. "You can pull off a speech like that in front of hundreds of people, but you ramble incoherently trying to talk to me about bonding."

Harry ducked his head. "Well, this wasn't how I wanted to bring it up to you," he said quietly. "It just kind of slipped out like that."

"I'm so glad you're mine," Draco drawled. "Because I don't like being bored." 

Harry looked back up at him through his fringe, confused by Draco's words and his tone. It didn't help his confusion that Draco's erection was still pressed against his own, the heat and sensation felt incredible and was very distracting.

"Just when I think I've got you figured out, you say or do something else that surprises me. Your vulnerabilities are such a contrast to your strengths," Draco explained. "Everything about you amazes me."

Harry's breath hitched, as much from Draco's words as from the extra friction when Draco's hips arched into his. This continual slow grind while they tried to have a serious conversation was going to drive him mad.

"Draco, you've got to stop doing that," Harry said breathlessly.

"Doing this?" Draco asked, dipping his head to Harry's exposed throat and sucking lightly as he continued to rotate his hips in small circles.

"Yes, that," Harry breathed.

"But you like this," Draco whispered in his ear.

"Gods, yes," Harry hissed. This was still not the time or the place with so many people lingering in the Great Hall, but he was just about beyond caring. He did register that Draco's movements were slight enough that it probably wasn't obvious to _everyone_ what they were doing.

"I want you right now," Draco continued to whisper in his ear, alternating his words with little nips and kisses. "But since I can't whisk you away from all your adoring fans at the moment, I'll take you any way I can get you."

"Merlin, Draco, what's got into you?" Harry asked, attempting to thrust his hips again, but still getting nowhere with Draco's hands keeping him pressed against the wall.

"I'm happy because you've said you want to bond with me," Draco responded, punctuating his words with a slight upwards thrust of his hips.

Harry moaned, reacting to Draco's words and actions. He could feel the pressure building and wasn't going to last much longer if Draco kept this up. His fingers tightened in Draco's hair, pulling Draco up so he could look at him.

He about lost it when he first looked into Draco's eyes shining with silver intensity. He didn't realize Draco felt the same way gazing into Harry's vibrant emerald eyes. "You want to bond with me?" Harry asked softly.

"Yes," Draco answered finally.

Harry tugged Draco's head forward until their mouths met once again in a passionate kiss. Draco moaned into his mouth, simply heightening Harry's senses, which seemed to be on overload. They continued the heated kiss until they both groaned their release.

Foreheads touching, they attempted to catch their breaths. Draco slipped one hand from Harry's hip to his pocket to reach his wand, quietly casting a couple of spells to clean them up.

Harry still felt lost in a haze of sensation. He'd been through so many emotional highs and lows over the last week. Combine the emotional high of Draco wanting to bond with him along with the physical high of being with Draco and Harry was lost.

"I love you, Draco Malfoy," he said.

"I love you, Harry Potter," Draco said, smiling gently at him.

They stood there for several minutes wrapped in each other's arms, until Harry sighed. "I suppose we should go join everyone else."

They separated and turned to finally leave the Great Hall only to come face to face with their friends—all of whom were beaming bright smiles at them.

Harry blinked at them. "What are you guys doing?"

"We didn't think you really wanted to share that with everyone," Blaise said with a cheerful grin. "So, we've simply been providing a bit of privacy for the two of you."

Harry glanced at Draco, who was looking as amazed as he was.

Ron was shaking his head. "I still don't understand how you two can just do _that_ anywhere," he said bemusedly.

Harry laughed lightly, as Draco smirked at Ron. "It's easy, Weasley. When you're with Harry, anything becomes possible."

Everyone burst out into laughter. "Now isn't that the truth," Ron agreed, grinning wryly. "Everything always happens around Harry."

"So, are you two going to bond?" Hermione asked impatiently.

All of their friends gazed at them expectantly, as Harry and Draco shared an obviously loving glance.

"Yes," they answered together.

~*~*~*~

Harry sat down on the blanket by his father. Draco had gone off with their friends for a bit so Harry could talk to his father alone for a few minutes. Harry was just thankful his father was off in the shadows because no one seemed to realize where they were.

"Where's Lucius?" Harry asked.

Severus snorted in amusement. "I believe he is discussing a few 'truths' with Dumbledore."

Harry grinned. "A few truths about our beloved Minister maybe?"

Severus eyed him contemplatively. "That was quite a speech. Did you plan that?"

Harry shrugged. "Not really, but the opportunity came up to confront Fudge, so I took it. I certainly didn't plan for Lucius to back me up like that, but it worked."

"It wasn't much of a confrontation, but very effective regardless," Severus said.

"I figured I might as well take advantage while everyone is still happy with me," Harry answered. "Just yesterday the Wizarding world was upset with Harry Potter because he wasn't doing what they expected him to. Today they're happy because I did what they hoped for after all. Tomorrow they may very well be unhappy again when realization sets in as to what some of my methods were."

"You do have quite the fickle public," Severus smirked.

Harry grimaced. "I know. But maybe we'll at least get a new Minister out of all this. One who will run things better than that idiot Fudge. No matter what, things have to improve now that Voldemort's finally gone."

Severus nodded once in acknowledgement. They were quiet for a couple minutes as they watched an especially bright burst of fireworks explode against the black backdrop of the night sky.

"Are congratulations in order for you and Draco?" Severus asked, eyebrow raised.

Harry smiled softly. "Yeah, I guess so. Um, that wasn't even remotely planned and I wish that I'd done it right, but Draco has agreed to bond with me."

Severus smiled, that rare smile that hardly anyone ever saw besides Harry, Lucius and Draco. "I'm happy for you both and I offer my congratulations."

"Thank you," Harry said. He crawled across the blanket to be enfolded in a warm hug. He sat curled up next to his father as they continued to watch the fireworks display. 

"I've never been happier in my life," Harry said quietly. "I never even dreamed of this a year ago."

"A lot has changed," Severus said in agreement. "I confess, Harry, that I had never dreamed of this either."

Harry had the feeling his father was grateful for the cover of darkness as he talked. Harry simply snuggled in closer and listened quietly.

"You know my life has not been easy. Bright spots have been few and far between," Severus said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I had that brief time with Lucius and that brief time with your mother so many years ago. Somewhere along the line I came to the conclusion that I was not meant to be happy, but I thought that I had made some type of peace with myself."

Severus paused, but Harry remained silent, waiting patiently for his father to gather his thoughts.

"Then last summer, you came along to wreck havoc with my life, as you have been doing for the last several years. Learning that you were my son changed everything for me. Harry, you've brought a joy and a brightness to my life that I never expected to have. Admittedly, you are still an insolent brat at times," Severus said, and Harry could hear the smirk in his tone.

Harry grinned into the darkness. "You'd be bored if I was always perfectly behaved."

Severus chuckled. "You are probably correct. It has been an amazing year watching you take on the school, the Order and even the Dark Lord and his followers. I don't know how to tell you how proud of you I am."

Harry hugged his father tightly. Severus hugged him back just as fiercely. "I couldn't have done any of it without you," Harry whispered, not sure if his voice would work if he tried to speak any louder.

Once again, they lapsed into silence, watching the fireworks as they got control over their emotions.

"So, Harry, what are your plans now?" Severus finally asked.

Harry shrugged. "I'm really not sure. I know I'm looking forward to going home and away from all this madness that's sure to be going on for a long while."

Severus' arm tightened around him. "You do not wish to go stay with Draco?" he asked, his voice suspiciously even.

"Well, yes," Harry answered nervously. "But, um, I was kind of hoping you'd let Draco come stay at Snape Manor with me for most of the summer."

Severus pulled away so that he could look at Harry, his gaze curious. "You still wish to stay at the Manor with me?"

"Of course I do," Harry said softly. "It's my home and now that I've finally got one, I don't really want to go stay somewhere else except to visit."

Severus closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "Thank you, Harry."

"Father, it's me who should be thanking you for giving me the home and the family that I've never had," Harry said, feeling the tears pricking his eyes again.

Every time he thought he had his emotions under control, they'd come bubbling to the surface again. He couldn't seem to help himself. Severus gently brushed the tears from Harry's cheeks. "I thought maybe I had lost you already."

Harry laughed shakily. "I'm afraid you're never going to be rid of me."

"I'm glad," Severus said simply, gazing at Harry fondly.

Harry desperately needed to lighten the mood before he completely broke down out here in the open. "So, would this be a good time to admit that I'd like to invite Blaise to come stay with us this summer, too?"

Severus groaned. "I have been wondering when Blaise's circumstances would be brought up."

Harry grinned cheekily. "I've been thinking it would be great if I could invite Ron and Hermione and some of the others to visit for like a week or so, too," he said. Of course, he still had an awful lot of explaining to do when it came to Mrs. Weasley before Ron would ever be able to visit, but he was hopeful she'd come around.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "You wish to inundate Snape Manor with a group of teenagers. Many of whom are Gryffindors and troublemakers."

"Yes." Harry beamed brightly. "You could invite Lucius to come stay, too, so you wouldn't feel so outnumbered."

"How kind of you," Severus sneered sarcastically.

Harry laughed light heartedly, knowing his father was relieved rather than upset with Harry wanting to invite his friends over. He noticed Lucius and Draco approaching warily.

"Does your laughter mean it's safe to come over here now?" Draco asked.

Harry grinned at him and patted the blanket in invitation. Minutes later, Harry and Draco were lying on their backs, holding hands and watching the fireworks that were still going off.

Harry rolled to his side, propping himself up on one arm so he could gaze down at Draco. He felt like those fireworks they'd been watching—he felt like he was going to burst with happiness. And Draco was a very large part of the happiness he was feeling. 

"Thank you, Draco," he said quietly, smiling gently.

"For what?" Draco asked, eyeing Harry curiously.

"For being you. For making me happy," Harry answered.

Draco smiled and Harry leaned down to kiss him. They ignored their fathers' grumbling as they snogged passionately under the bright displays lighting up the night sky, happy and content where they were.

~~Finite~~


End file.
